The
European route E 73 is a Class-A north-south
European route that connects the central part of the continent, specifically
Hungary and eastern
Croatia to
Bosnia and Herzegovina and the
Adriatic Sea in the area of the
port of Ploce. This route is also designated as the Pan-European Corridor Vc, a branch of the fifth
Pan-European corridor. The route largely consists of two-lane roads with
at-grade intersections, although in 2000s, approximately one third of the route was upgraded to
motorway standards. The remainder of the route is currently being upgraded in all the countries spanned. The longest part of this corridor goes through
Bosnia and Herzegovina and is widely touted as a road instrumental to the development of the country. The road also serves as the shortest connection of the eastern and southern parts of Croatia.