A1 motorway (Slovenia)
# A1 motorway (Slovenia)

The A1 motorway (Slovene: avtocesta A1), also known as Slovenika, is 245.3 km (152.4 mi) long, connecting Šentilj (at the Austrian border) and Koper/Capodistria (on the shores of the Adriatic Sea). It connects several of the largest metropolitan areas of the country, including Maribor, Celje and Ljubljana, all the way to the Slovenian Littoral and port town of Koper.

Construction began in 1970 and the first section was finished in 1972, connecting Vrhnika and Postojna. Everyday operation of this initial stretch started on 29 December 1972.

The connection to Koper was finished on 23 November 2004. The second-to-last part, from Trojane to Blagovica, was opened on 12 August 2005. It was also the most expensive, having eight viaducts and two tunnels despite being only 11 km long. The final section, the eastern Maribor bypass, opened on 14 August 2009.

## Route description

The A1 motorway provides connection of Slovenia and Austria (only other motorway with border crossing to Austria being A2 motorway) and was from the very start an important route, because it connected the three largest cities in Slovenia – Ljubljana, Maribor and Celje. On the other hand, it also connected all those cities with Slovenian coast and provided better conditions for transit to Port of Koper. As of 2013 it is also the only motorway that is connected to all the other motorways in Slovenia.

As of 2013 motorway always has at least two traffic lanes in each direction and is rarely without emergency lane. On some parts it has three traffic lanes in one direction and two in another (usually the additional is for slow vehicles). Only Tunnel Golovec has three lanes in each direction. It was also planned that some other parts of highway will get additional lanes but most of plans were postponed due to lack of money.

## Toll

Until 1 July 2008 all vehicles had to stop at tollgates and pay a toll. Since that date vignettes are required for all vehicles up to 3.5 tons, while heavier vehicles must still pay the toll at a tollgate. Tollgates are being rearranged so that two traffic lanes for lighter vehicles (with vignettes) are no longer divided by tollgates and vehicles can drive through at 60 kilometres per hour (37 miles per hour). Where tollgates are still standing as they were before 1 July 2008, the speed limit is 40 kilometres per hour (25 miles per hour). Since 2018, heavy vehicles need to pay toll with an electronic on-board unit attached on the windscreen and tollgates are not needed anymore.

There are six toll stations for heavier vehicles Pesnica, Tepanje, Vransko, Kompolje, Log and Videž. For R3 group it ranges from €3.40 to €19.60, together €47.10 at daytime (6 AM-10 PM) and from €3.00 to €17.60, together €42.30 at night (10 PM-6 AM). For R4 group it ranges from €4.90 to €28.30, together €68.20 at daytime (6 AM-10 PM) and from €4.40 to €25.50, together €61.40 at night (10 PM-6 AM).

## Notable structures

When most parts of motorway were already done, there came two parts that were something special, meaning tunnels near Trojane with most notable being Tunnel Trojane with length of almost 3 kilometres and thus second longest tunnel in Slovenia (the longest being Karavanke Tunnel) and viaduct Črni Kal, the longest viaduct in Slovenia, being longer than 1 kilometer and also 95 metres high.

## Junction list

| Exit | km | Name | Destination | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | 0 | Austria | A 9 E57 E59 | The northern terminus of the route; northbound A1 traffic defaults to the Austrian Pyhrnautobahn (A9) leading to Graz; border |
| 1 | 1 | Šentilj | R437 R438 | Connection to Pesnica (437), Trate and Gornja Radgona (438); modified diamond interchange |
| 2 | 11 | Maribor-sever | H2 G3 R437 | Modified roundabout interchange with H2 (Zahodna obvoznica Maribora) leading through western part of Maribor, connection to Lenart, Radenci, Dolga Vas (3) and Šentilj (437) |
| 3 | 12 | Junction Dragučova | A5 E653 | Full Y interchange with A5 motorway leading to Hungary through state border Pince |
| 4 | 17 | Maribor-vzhod | Zrkovci | Local road through Zrkovci, connected with road 710, leading to Vurberk and Ptuj; modified diamond interchange |
| 5 | 21 | Maribor-center | G1 | Connection to either Dravograd and Vič or Hajdina (1); folded diamond interchange |
| 6 | 23 | Rogoza | R450 | Connection to either Hoče or Maribor Airport (450); four ramp partial cloverleaf interchange |
| 7 | 25 | Junction Slivnica | A4 E59 R430 | Interchange with A4 motorway (also route E59) currently leading to Razcep Draženci and connection to either Maribor or Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenske Konjice and Celje (430) |
| 8 | 29 | Fram | R711 | Connection to Rače, Kungota and Kidričevo (711); trumpet interchange |
| 9 | 37 | Slovenska Bistrica-sever | G2 | Connection to Ptuj and Ormož (2); full Y interchange |
| 10 | 39 | Slovenska Bistrica-jug | R430 | Connection to either Maribor or Slovenske Konjice and Celje (430); trumpet interchange |
| 11 | 48 | Slovenske Konjice | R430 R686 | Connection to either Maribor and Slovenska Bistrica or Celje (430), Žiče and Dramlje (686); trumpet interchange |
| 12 | 59 | Dramlje | R234 R686 | Connection to Dole, Šentjur (234), Žiče and Tepanje; trumpet interchange |
| 13 | 65 | Celje-vzhod | Leskovec | Local road in Leskovec; full way interchange |
| 14 | 67 | Celje-center | R430 | Connection to Slovenske Konjice, Slovenska Bistrica and Maribor (430); trumpet interchange |
| 15 | 73 | Celje-vzhod | G5 | Connection to either Arja Vas or Zidani Most, Krško and Drnovo (5); dumbbell interchange |
| 16 | 75 | Žalec | G4 R451 | Connection to Velenje, Slovenj Gradec, Dravograd (4) and to road 447 (451); diamond interchange |
| 17 | 82 | Šempeter | R694 | Connection to Velenje; modified diamond interchange |
| 18 | 84 | Šentrupert | R225 | Connection to Soteska, Mozirje, Radmirje, Črnivec, Stahovica, Kamnik, Duplica and Mengeš (225); diamond interchange |
| 19 | 92 | Vransko | R447 | Connection to either Šempeter, Žalec and Arja Vas or Trojane, Blagovica and Trzin; four ramp partial cloverleaf interchange |
| 20 | 102 | Trojane | R221 R447 | Connection to Izlake, Trbovlje, Hrastnik, Šmarjeta (221) and either Šempeter, Žalec, Arja Vas and Ločica or Blagovica and Trzin (447) |
| 21 | 113 | Blagovica | R447 | Connection to either Trojane, Šempeter, Žalec, Arja Vas and Ločica or Trzin (447) |
| 22 | 120 | Lukovica pri Domžalah | R447 | Connection to either Blagovica, Trojane, Šempeter, Žalec, Arja Vas and Ločica or Trzin (447); interchange with rest area |
| 23 | 124 | Krtina | R415 | Connection to Želodnik, Drtija and Izlake; four ramp partial cloverleaf interchange |
| 24 | 127 | Domžale | R447 | Connection to Trzin, Blagovica, Šempeter, Žalec, Arja Vas and Ločica (447); full Y interchange |
| 25 | 133 | Ljubljana-Šentjakob | G108 | Connection to Litija, Hrastnik and Zidani Most (108); diamond interchange |
| 26 | 134 | Ljubljana-Sneberje | R644 | Connection to Šentjakob, Domžale and Duplica (644); four ramp partial cloverleaf interchange |
| 27 | 135 | Junction Zadobrova | H3 H3 | Full Y interchange with H3 (Severna obvoznica Ljubljane) leading through northern part of Ljubljana |
| 28 | 136 | Industrijska cona Moste | Industrijska cona Moste | Local road; exit just in direction Koper – Maribor |
| 29 | 137 | Ljubljana-vzhod | Zaloška cesta | Street in Ljubljana; diamond interchange |
| 30 | 138 | Ljubljana-Bizovik | R645 | Connection to Šmartno pri Litiji (645); diamond interchange |
| 31 | 142 | Junction Malence | A2 E70 | Full Y interchange with A2 motorway (also route E70), leading to Novo Mesto and Brežice |
| 32 | 142 | Ljubljana-jug | R642 | Connection to Ig and Vrhnika (642); trumpet interchange |
| 33 | 144 | Ljubljana-Rudnik | R642 | Connection to Ig and Vrhnika (642); trumpet interchange |
| 34 | 147 | Ljubljana-center | Barjanska cesta | Street in Ljubljana; four ramp partial cloverleaf interchange |
| 35 | 149 | Ljubljana-zahod | Tržaška cesta | Street in Ljubljana; trumpet interchange |
| 36 | 150 | Junction Kozarje | A2 E61 E70 | Full Y interchange with A2 motorway (also route E61 and E70), leading to Kranj and Jesenice |
| 37 | 152 | Brezovica pri Ljubljani | R409 R641 | Connection to Vrhnika, Logatec, Postojna, Razdrto, Kozina (409) and Ljubljana (641); trumpet interchange |
| 38 | 165 | Vrhnika | R409 | Connection either to Vrhnika, Logatec, Postojna, Razdrto and Kozina or Ljubljana (409); trumpet interchange |
| 39 | 173 | Logatec | G102 | Connection to Idrija, Tolmin and Kobarid (102); trumpet interchange |
| 40 | 183 | Unec | R212 | Connection to Cerknica and Sodražica (212); four ramp partial cloverleaf interchange |
| 41 | 195 | Postojna | G6 | Connection to Ilirska Bistrica and Jelšane (6); four ramp partial cloverleaf interchange |
| 42 | 204 | Razdrto | R409 | Connection either to Postojna, Logatec, Vrhnika and Ljubljana or Kozina (409) |
| 43 | 206 | Junction Razdrto | H4 H4 | Semi-directional T interchange with H4 (Vipavska hitra cesta) leading to Vipava and Italy |
| 44 | 211 | Senožeče | R445 | Connection to Sežana and Fernetiči (445); trumpet interchange |
| 45 | 216 | Junction Gabrk | A3 E70 | Semi-directional T interchange with A3 motorway (also route E70), leading to Sežana and Italy |
| 46 | 219 | Divača | R409 | Connection either to Razdrto, Postojna, Logatec, Vrhnika and Ljubljana or Kozina (409); trumpet interchange |
| 47 | 226 | Kozina | G7 R409 | Connection to Krvavi potok (7), Razdrto, Postojna, Logatec, Vrhnika and Ljubljana (409); trumpet interchange |
| 48 | 235 | Kastelec | R409 | Connection to Kozina, Razdrto, Postojna, Logatec, Vrhnika and Ljubljana (409); modified diamond interchange |
| 49 | 238 | Črni kal | R208 R409 | Connection to Rižana (208), Kozina Razdrto, Postojna, Logatec, Vrhnika and Ljubljana (409); trumpet interchange |
| 50 | 244 | Junction Srmin | H5 E751 | The western terminus of the route; northbound and westbound A1 traffic defaults to the H5 expressway (also route E751) leading to Škofije and Koper respectively |

## Tunnels

The motorway includes ten tunnels, two galleries and one covered cut:

* Gallery Dragučova right and left 160 m (520 ft)
* Vodole right 249 m (817 ft), Vodole left 247 m (810 ft)
* Covered cut Malečnik right and left 185 m (607 ft)
* Golo rebro right 788 m (2,585 ft), Golo rebro left 757 m (2,484 ft)
* Pletovarje right 708 m (2,323 ft), Pletovarje left 745 m (2,444 ft)
* Ločica right 750 m (2,460 ft), Ločica left 810 m (2,660 ft)
* Jasovnik right 1,633 m (5,358 ft), Jasovnik left 1,612 m (5,289 ft)
* Trojane right 2,840 m (9,320 ft), Trojane left 2,931 m (9,616 ft)
* Podmilj right 622 m (2,041 ft), Podmilj left 613 m (2,011 ft)
* Gallery Strmec right and left 200 m (660 ft)
* Golovec right 622 m (2,041 ft), Golovec left 595 m (1,952 ft)
* Kastelec right 2,195 m (7,201 ft), Kastelec left 2,303 m (7,556 ft)
* Dekani right 2,190 m (7,190 ft), Dekani left2,181 m (7,156 ft)

## Bridges

Motorway A1 has 101 viaducts, 109 bridges, 129 overpass in 117 underpass.

Some of the largest viaduct in the A1 (span greater than 500 mm (20 in)):

* Kresnica right 587 m (1,926 ft) and left 587 m (1,926 ft)
* Pekel right 448 m (1,470 ft) and left 448 m (1,470 ft)
* Preloge right558 m (1,831 ft) and left 558 m (1,831 ft)
* Škedenj I. right 466 m (1,529 ft) and left 563 m (1,847 ft)
* Ločica right 849 m (2,785 ft) and left 869 m (2,851 ft)
* Šentožbolt right 410 m (1,350 ft) and left 541 m (1,775 ft)
* Petelinjek right 622 m (2,041 ft) and left 634 m (2,080 ft)
* Blagovica right 446 m (1,463 ft) and left 426 m (1,398 ft)
* Verd right 620 m (2,030 ft) and left 586 m (1,923 ft)
* Ravbarkomanda right 591 m (1,939 ft) and left 533 m (1,749 ft)
* Črni kal right 1,046 m (3,432 ft) and left 1,048 m (3,438 ft)
* Bivje right 575 m (1,886 ft) and left 563 m (1,847 ft)

The Črni Kal Viaduct is the longest viaduct in Slovenia.

