The A2 motorway ( sl, avtocesta A2, Ilirika) is a

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

, around 180 km long, connecting the Karawanks Tunnel (at the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n border) via the capital city

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...

to Obrežje (at the

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n border, near

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

). It connects several major Slovene cities, including Kranj, Ljubljana, and

Novo Mesto Novo Mesto (; sl, Novo mesto; also known by other alternative names) is a city on a bend of the Krka River in the City Municipality of Novo Mesto in southeastern Slovenia, close to the border with Croatia. The town is traditionally considered ...

, and is part of Pan-European Corridor X. The route of the motorway largely follows the path of the Brotherhood and Unity Highway, which was a two-lane non-divided road constructed as the main traffic artery within

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

. With the construction of the divided motorway, most of the previous road was demolished. A notable exception can be seen on the southern A2 segment between Grosuplje and

Višnja Gora Višnja Gora (; german: Weixelburg,''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, pp. 96, 99. also ''Weichselburg'', ''Weichselberg'') is a town in th ...

, where the previous road was grandfathered into the motorway system; it lacks a

hard shoulder A shoulder, hard shoulder (British) or breakdown lane, is an emergency stopping lane by the verge of a road or motorway, on the right side in countries which drive on the right, and on the left side in countries which drive on the left. Many wide ...

and has sharp turns and an exit ramp with a 10%

grade Grade most commonly refers to: * Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance * Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage * Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope Grade or grading may also ref ...

. The northern segment between

and Grosuplje follows a completely different path, with three traffic lanes and a relatively lower grade.

Junctions, exits and rest area

Tunnels and covered cuts

From the northwest to the southeast, the A2 motorway features the following

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

s and covered cuts:

; Tunnels * Karawanks Tunnel (; , with portal) * Ljubno Tunnel (; right: , left: ) * Šentvid Tunnel (; right: , left: ) * Šentvid Junction (; arm B: , arm C: ) * Fat Hill (; right: , left: ) * Little Peak (; right: , left: ) * Leščevje Tunnel (; right: , left: )
; Covered cuts * Moste *

– Šentvid * '' Šentvid Junction'' (arm A and arm D) * Medvedjek (I and II) * Dolge Dole * Doline ( Karteljevo) * Dobrove ( Otočec) * Čatež (right and left)

External links

A2 Karavanke - Obrežje at DARS
the national motorway operator of Slovenia

{{Highways in Slovenia Highways in Slovenia