STA, 15 March 2021 - Renovation work on the eastern tube of the Golovec tunnel, located on the south-eastern section of the Ljubljana ring road, got under way on Monday after work on the western tube was completed. The upgrade, during which the tube will be closed to traffic, is expected to take two months with replacement train transport available at discount prices.
The renovation comes after the western tube was already modernised last summer. The work on the second tube was supposed to start in summer this year, however national motorway company DARS decided to capitalise on an epidemic-driven decrease in road traffic and went ahead with the project earlier.
During the renovation, all traffic will be redirected to the western tube, however the tunnel will be off limit to vehicles heavier than 3.5 tonnes, which will have to opt for other sections of the ring road.
According to DARS, traffic will be organised in a 2+1 fashion, with the format adjusted to peak hour periods.
The eastern tube will be closed to traffic until 15 May. During the next two months, DARS will offer, in association with rail operator Slovenske Železnice, a discount of 50% on train tickets for Kočevje-Ljubljana and Novo Mesto-Ljubljana lines.
Drivers will be notified of any renovation-related congestion via online platforms, media and special signs situated at the main intersections on the ring road.
Slovenian builder Kolektor CPG is in charge of the entire project, whose price tag is estimated at EUR 8.56 million, VAT excluded.
DARS explained that the renovation was very much needed since it was the first since the tunnel opened in 1999. The eastern tube will get the same facelift as the western did last summer - replacing concrete with asphalt and setting up LED lighting and a thermal traffic detection system for traffic incidents, among other things.
What also lies in store is an upgrade of a link road connecting the BTC shopping district and motorway. DARS entrusted the project to Slovenian Trgograd and its Croatian partner GP Krk for more than EUR 2 million, VAT excluded.
