Background
Construction of the tunnel began in secret on March 1, 1993 under the codename “Objekt BD". The tunnel was to link Butmir and Dobrinja, two Bosnia held neighbourhoods one of which was inside Serbian siege lines, the other of which was outside. Nedzad Brankovic, a Bosnian civil engineer, created the plans of the tunnel’s construction underneath the Sarajevo airport runway; (Bosnia report). However, because of the urgency of the its construction full costing and technical specifications were never made.
The construction was assigned to the First Corps Army of Bosnia-Herzegovina, under the supervision of deputy commander General Ratid Zorlak. The project was initially difficult to get started as there was a lack of skilled manpower, tools, and material to complete the task. Consequently, the tunnel was dug by hand, with a shovel and pick, and wheelbarrow was used to carry the 1,200 cubic meters of detritus away. The tunnel was dug 24-hours a day, with workers working in 8-hour shifts digging from opposite ends. Its construction was financed by the State, the Army, and the City of Sarajevo. Rather than being paid monetarily, the workers were paid with one packet of cigarettes per day, an item that was in high demand and a prized bartering possession for those non-smokers.
A total of 2,800 square meter of soil was removed, 170 square meter of wood, and 45 tons of steel were used in the construction of the tunnel. A biggest technical problem was the underground water, that had to be most frequently thrown out manually. Because of the permanent shelling, the tunnel was installed with a pipe-line that was used for the delivery of oil for the town, then the mail-cables were also laid on, and thanks to the donation of Germany, the electro-cables were placed down so that Sarajevo has got a minimum of electricity and telephone lines with the world.
The construction of the tunnel was completed on June 30, 1993 when the two tunnels met in the middle. Use of the tunnel began the following day on July 1, 1993.
Read more about this topic: Sarajevo Tunnel
Famous quotes containing the word background:
“... every experience in life enriches one’s background and should teach valuable lessons.”
—Mary Barnett Gilson (1877–?)
“In the true sense one’s native land, with its background of tradition, early impressions, reminiscences and other things dear to one, is not enough to make sensitive human beings feel at home.”
—Emma Goldman (1869–1940)
“They were more than hostile. In the first place, I was a south Georgian and I was looked upon as a fiscal conservative, and the Atlanta newspapers quite erroneously, because they didn’t know anything about me or my background here in Plains, decided that I was also a racial conservative.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)