A newly-built section of a motorway leading from Zagreb to the Slovene border was formally opened to traffic on Tuesday by Prime Minister Ivo Sanader.
The 20 kilometre long stretch, running from Krapina to Macelj, includes six tunnels and nine viaducts. The project cost EUR 235 million and was financed on a public-private partnership basis. It took 33 months to complete.
The cost of construction of one kilometre of road was between EUR 14 million and 15 million because of terrain and the need to build supporting infrastructure facilities.
The toll for passenger cars will be HRK 35, or approximately EUR 4.8.
The highway is run by a concession company which is 49 per cent owned by the Croatian government and 51 per cent by Phyrn Concession Holding, a separate unit of the Austrian company Strabag. The concession expires in 28 years.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Sanader said that the newly-built section of the road was one of the most demanding in Croatia, stressing its exceptional importance for connecting Croatia with Central and Western Europe through Slovenia, Austria and the German state of Bavaria.
The ceremony was also addressed by the Minister of the Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development, Bozidar Kalmeta, and the President of the Board of Managers of the Zagreb-Macelj Motorway Consortium, Wolfgang Altmann. (Hina)