The eight-kilometre-long section of the motorway from Klanec, where the A1 motorway from Ljubljana to Koper currently ends, to the junction at Črni Kal was opened on 23 September. When the 6.9-kilometre-long section from Črni Kal to the Ankaran junction is opened in a little over a month's time, the first leg of the Slovene motorway cross will be completed. We talked to Janez Božič, Chairman of the Board of DARS.
The greatest amount of attention on this descent from the Karst plateau over the edge of the Karst to the coast is drawn by the Črni Kal viaduct, which passes over the village of Gabrovica, and with its length of 1065 metres and height of 95 metres is the largest bridge in Slovenia. Was this one of the most difficult sections of the motorway to build?
Yes, it was. We had to gather all of the knowledge we could find at home and abroad in order to build it. We began construction of the Črni Kal viaduct in November 2001, and it was the most demanding bridge in the Slovene motorway system, in terms of functional requirements, construction and technical possibilities, design constraints, siting difficulties in connection with preserving the natural environment, and investment costs and maintenance costs during its lifetime. Dars concluded a contract for the viaduct worth 4,487 billion tolars with the SCT and Primorje construction companies at the end of September 2001. The newly-built motorway section also includes two two-tube tunnels, the 2.3 kilometre-long Kastelec tunnel and the 100-metre shorter Dekani tunnel; both are two-lane. This represents a true milestone in Slovene motorway construction. We can actually congratulate ourselves for completing the construction of the work up to the Črni Kal junction two months ahead of schedule. The entire section will be completed by the end of October, five months ahead of the contract deadline.
The opening of the Trojane section will also significantly ease traffic pressure in Slovenia. How will the construction of traffic infrastructure proceed in the next few years?
The pace of construction of the motorway cross will increase. A further 15 kilometres of motorway will be opened in Primorska, and 42 kilometres in Dolenjska. We also have motorways under construction in Gorenjska and Pomurje. The construction of important infrastructure will contribute one percent to economic growth and create 4000 jobs. In the next four years we will complete the Slovene motorway cross and connect Koper with Dolga vas, east to west and north to south, further contributing to economic growth in Slovenia. Good road infrastructure is a development challenge not just for us, but for all of central Europe.
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