Proposed Turany intersection of the Turany-Hubová D1 highway stretch. (source: enviroportal.sk / NDS)
The National Highway Company (NDS) has announced a tender for the Turany-Hubová stretch, between Martin and Ružomberok, of the cross-country D1 highway. This is the final section of the highway connecting the two biggest cities of Slovakia, Bratislava and Košice, where construction has not yet been launched. If everything goes well, the first cars should be driving this stretch with a price tag close to €2 billion in 2032, shortening the way from the capital to Košice by about 30 minutes.
“I think that we all have been waiting for this, the so-called cursed Turany – Hubová, stretch,” Transport Minister Jozef Ráž said on Monday, August 12, as cited by the SITA newswire. “There was a lot of speculation, but everything has been resolved at last, and we have reached an important milestone.”
The minister is hopeful that the procurement will be completed without problems. Even if some complications occur, the process should be helped by the law on strategic investments, as this project has obtained the status of a strategic investment, making the process of getting necessary permissions easier.
“I hope and believe that this tender will run smoothly, within the legal deadlines, and won’t be the subject of many appeals and obstructions, as we often see in Slovakia,” said Ráž as cited by the TASR newswire.
The stretch should be part of the main European TEN-T network, which Slovakia has committed to completing by 2030. Based on the highway construction experience so far, however, there is little chance that Slovakia will make it.
The map of highwqays and dual carriageways in Slovakia. (source: Courtesy of NDS)
