CONSTRUCTION OF A SECOND TUBE FOR THE KARAWANKS MOTORWAY TUNNEL

OVERVIEW: The Karawanks motorway tunnel connects the A2 motorway in Slovenia and the A11 motorway in Austria and is part of the TEN-T comprehensive network, connecting the Baltic-Adriatic and the Mediterranean CNCs (see Figure 2-5). It also connects hubs of the comprehensive and core transport networks (i.e., Villach-Klagenfurt, Ljubljana). This project regards the construction of a second tube for the Karawanks motorway tunnel on the cross-border section between Austria and Slovenia. The project promoters are the Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology and the Slovenian Ministry of Infrastructure are the promoters. ASFINAG and DARS are the implementing bodies. IMPORTANCE: The Karawanks motorway tunnel is a bottleneck and poses high risks to users. Therefore, the main goals are (i) to improve capacity and traffic safety levels and (ii) to reduce the environmental impacts on the adjacent areas. The construction of a second tube is (i) in line with the requirements of Directive 2004/54/EC on minimum safety requirements for tunnels in the TEN-T, (ii) it is object of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Slovenia and Austria in 2015, (iii) it is envisaged in the Transport Development Strategy in the Republic of Slovenia (adopted in 2015), (iv) listed in the annex to the Austrian Federal Roads Act and (v) a letter of intent was signed by Slovenia and the Region of Carinthia in 2001 on the join implementation. COST: The total estimated investment costs amount to € 162 million. VIEW PROJECT REPORT.