SARAJEVO- Nine companies, including five from China, have submitted bids to build part of a 4 billion euro ($4.4 billion) north-south highway running through Bosnia, Bosnian state motorways firm Autoceste FBiH said on its website.

The 5.2-kilometre Kvanj–Buna section of the highway in southern Bosnia, including a key tunnel and two viaducts, is mainly being funded by a 100 million euros loan from the European Investment Bank, the European Union's lending arm.

The bidders include a consortium comprising the China Road and Bridge Corporation and CCCC Second Highway Engineering Co. Ltd; China State Construction Engineering Corp. Ltd. ; and a consortium of Sinohydro Corporation Ltd. and Powerchina Roadbridge Group.

A joint venture between China Second Metallurgy Group Co. Ltd and Guizhou Transportation Planning Survey, called Design Academe Co. Ltd, and China Railway 14th Bureau Group Co. Ltd have also submitted bids, the Autoceste FBiH said.

Other bidders include Turkey's Cengiz Insaat Sanayi ve Ticaret AS, as well as a consortium of AGE Insaat ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi and LLC (Turska).

Another consortium of Turkish, Azeri and Bosnian firms was also among the bidders, as was Bosnia's Euro-Asfalt, Autoceste FBiH said.

The winning bidder for the design and build contract is expected to complete construction in 36 months.

The pan-European VC corridor, linking the Hungarian capital of Budapest in the north with the Croatian port of Ploce in the south, will be the main international transport link through Bosnia.

It is expected to be completed by 2030.

($1 = 0.9078 euros)

(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Mark Potter) ((daria.sito-sucic@thomsonreuters.com; +38733 295 484; Reuters Messaging: daria.sito-sucic.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))