The D1 stretch between the towns Hubová and Ivachnová, Žilina Region, should be completed in late 2023. (source: Miroslava Mlynárová for TASR)
Workers building a highway stretch in northern Slovakia have discovered a cave, interrupting critical voices of the still unfinished D1 highway for a while.
The National Highway Company (NDS) posted on Facebook on February 3 that a cavity 31 m in length and 1.5 m in height was uncovered near Čebrať Tunnel, which is a part of the Hubová – Ivachnová road stretch currently under construction.
Find out more about region of folklore, national parks and modern attractions in our Žilina Region Travel Guide. (source: Spectacular Slovakia)
The new cave is expected to be larger.
A survey will follow, the national company said, before the Žilina Region decides what is going to happen with the cave.
Unexpected discovery
Construction workers came across the cave as they excavated a building notch, though previous surveys had not identified it beforehand.
“We found it at the very bottom,” the chief geologist of the highway stretch Andrej Žilka said. “Given the geological environment in which we localised it, this is a very unexpected discovery.”
Sinter decoration formed by mineralised underground water is very rich in the cave, which is quite atypical for fissure caves, the geologist added.
Fatrikum
From a geological point of view, it is part of the Fatrikum, also known as the Krížňanský Overlying Rock, Žilka noted. It is a tectonic unit of the Western Carpathians.
“When these overlying rocks are created or when they move, various tectonic faults occur. A cavity can thus form,” the geologist said.
The NDS ensured the recent discovery would not impact a deadline for completion of the highway stretch near Ružomberok. The opening is scheduled for late 2023.
Spectacular Slovakia travel guides
A helping hand in the heart of Europe thanks to the Slovakia travel guide with more than 1,000 photos and hundred of tourist spots.
Detailed travel guide to the Tatras introduces you to the whole region around the Tatra mountains, including attractions on the Polish side.
Lost in Bratislava? Impossible with our City Guide!
See some selected travel articles, podcasts, traveller's needs as well as other guides dedicated to Nitra, Trenčín Region, Trnava Region and Žilina Region.
