Kroatien_Autobahnen_(aktueller_Stand)_hr

Dynamik des Ausbaus des kroatischen Autobahnnetzes

Highways in Croatia are the main transport network in

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 ...

. The Croatian classification includes several classes of highways: * The main motorways are named A (''autocesta'') accompanied by one or two digits. By and large they are controlled-access toll highways with a

ticket system A ticket system, also known as a closed toll collection system, is a system used on some toll roads in which a user pays a toll rate based on the distance traveled from their originating entrance to their destination exit. The correct toll is de ...

. * Expressways (''brza cesta'') are

limited-access road A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway, expressway, limited access freeway, and partial controlled access highway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which ...

s with

grade-separated In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights (grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tran ...

intersections and by and large an increased speed limit without tolling. They are similar to motorways, but aren't always

dual carriageway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

, they have no

emergency lane 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 wid ...

s, and their speed limit is always lower. They either have standalone designations or are parts of major state routes (D), see below. * Roads dedicated for motor vehicles (''cesta namijenjena isključivo za promet motornih vozila''), which is a category for highways which are

s, usually similar to multiple-lane motorways/expressways, but which may have slow intersections. It has no specific naming convention, only a dedicated

traffic sign Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of or above roads to give instructions or provide information to road users. The earliest signs were simple wooden or stone milestones. Later, signs with directional arms were introduce ...

, and it mainly includes major state routes (D) or portions thereof, see below. An example is the

Jadranska Avenue Jadranska Avenue ( hr, Jadranska avenija, literally: ''Adriatic Avenue'') is a mostly six-lane controlled-access avenue in the Novi Zagreb – zapad city district of southwestern Zagreb, Croatia. Legally designated as a part of County road ...

in Zagreb, designated as Ž1040 county road. Other than these, the national road classification includes the following categories which may also be referred to as ''highways'' in a general sense, with decreasing order of priority (and applicability of the term highway): * State roads, which are marked by letter D (''državna cesta'') and a single, double or triple digit number. * County roads always are marked by letter Ž (''županijska cesta'') and a four digit number. * The lowest classification comprises local roads, marked by letter L (''lokalna cesta'') and a five digit number. Road operators differ according to the classification system: The designated motorways are operated by three different concessionaires. The state roads are maintained almost exclusively by

Hrvatske ceste Hrvatske ceste (lit. ''Croatian roads'') is a Croatian state-owned company pursuant to provisions of the Croatian Public Roads Act ( hr, Zakon o javnim cestama enacted by the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia. The tasks of the company are def ...

, while the county and local roads are managed by various

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

authorities. The road maintenance agencies are governed by various laws issued by the Parliament as well as bylaws issued by the Ministry of Transport.

Motorways

The primary high-speed

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 ...

s are called (; singular: ), and they are defined as roads with at least three lanes in each direction (including

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 wid ...

) and a speed limit of not less than . They are marked with a special road sign, similar to the road sign depicting a motorway/autoroute/autobahn in other parts of Europe. The Croatian motorway () network is long. Motorways in Croatia are defined by the

Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure The Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Ministarstvo mora, prometa i infrastrukture, MMPI RH) is a ministry in the Government of Croatia. List of ministers Role The Ministry of the Sea, Tr ...

. The same applies to names of the motorway interchanges and rest areas.

History

A major reason for the motorway construction "mania" of the 2000s is a previous political halt of the major Croatian highway project, today's A1, in the 1970s and 1980s under former Yugoslavia. When Croatia declared independence in 1991, the only true motorways in the country were

Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...

–Kikovica (the westernmost part of today's A6),

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

–

Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. According to the 2011 census, its population was 55,705. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located on the Zagreb- Rijeka highway and railway line, south-west of Zagre ...

(the northernmost part of today's A1) and Zagreb–

Slavonski Brod Slavonski Brod (), commonly shortened to simply Brod, is a city in eastern Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Being one of the principal cities in the historical regions of Slavonia and Posavina, Slavonski Brod was the 7th large ...

(the central part of today's A3), the latter being part of the

Brotherhood and Unity Highway The Brotherhood and Unity Highway (; ; or , ), officially classed as the M-1 highway, was a highway that stretched over across Yugoslavia, from the Austrian border at Jesenice in the northwest via Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade and Skopje to Gevgel ...

. The dream to connect the two largest Croatian cities Zagreb and Split with a motorway () went back to the times of the

Croatian Spring The Croatian Spring ( hr, Hrvatsko proljeće), or Maspok, was a political conflict that took place from 1967 to 1971 in the Socialist Republic of Croatia, at the time part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. As one of six republic ...

. However, the construction of this project had not happened during Yugoslav period. A7-Draga

In 2005, the Zagreb–Split route was constructed. In addition, the A1 was extended towards

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...

(currently at Ploče), and the A3 was extended so it connects Zagreb to Croatian borders with both

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

(near Lipovac) and

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 ...

(near

Bregana Bregana (; german: Bergana)A4 motorway from Zagreb to the northeast (Hungarian border) as well as the A2 motorway from Zagreb to the northwest (Slovenian border). The A9 between

Pula Pula (; also known as Pola, it, Pola , hu, Pòla, Venetian language, Venetian; ''Pola''; Istriot language, Istriot: ''Puola'', Slovene language, Slovene: ''Pulj'') is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, and the List of cities and town ...

and the Slovenian border is also largely completed. The construction of additional motorways has noticeably slowed in the 2010s, but it continues. , the

Cerovlje Cerovlje ( it, Cerreto) is a village and a municipality in Istria, Croatia. Description Many ancient towns and decayed castles ( Belaj, Posert, Paz, Gologorica, Gradinje) can be found in its territory. Almost every town or castle in Cerov ...

–Rijeka section of A8, the remaining part of the

Istrian Y The Istrian Y ( hr, Istarski ipsilon) is a highway complex in the Croatian highway network, consisting of section A8 Matulji-Kanfanar and section A9 Slovenian border-Kanfanar-Pula. It is called the Istrian Y because it is shaped like the letter ...

, is being upgraded from ''

semi-highway 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 ...

'' status. The other motorways are in various early stages of development, coming up to a total of 11 motorway routes. The A1 is considered unfinished as it is planned to be extended from Ploče to Dubrovnik.

Operators

The network is managed by 3 operators, of which one in under fully government control and other two are operated by joint venture.

Motorways and sections

List of motorways

Motorway sections under construction

Planned motorway sections

Traffic cost revenue

In 2020, the network had a traffic of 62.256.768 vehicles, including 53.483.812 light vehicles and 8.772.956 heavy vehicles ( difference by axle height). The travel cost is 6.8 euros per 100 km for light vehicles in closed system and 6.4 euros in open toll system, while for heavy ones are 29.2 euros per 100 km in closed system and 13.1 in open system. Those costs generate a revenue of 286.6 millions of euros in 2020.

Accidents

Two third of motorway fatalities (67%) occurred in the third of the year between July and October.

Expressways

There is a wide variety of types of expressways in Croatia, in terms of number of lanes, accessibility and types of intersections comprised. They range from four lane expressways with grade-separated intersections and limited access - distinguished from the motorways by lack of emergency lanes only - to four or six lane urban expressways with numerous at-grade intersections and traffic lights or two lane limited access roads with grade separated intersections. The expressways include both incomplete motorways, built in stages, and some state roads (with either limited access, more than two traffic lanes, grade-separated intersections or any combination thereof). There are even some instances of county roads which may be regarded expressways such as

(Ž1040). As a rule, the expressways are not tolled, however major tunnels on the expressways are tolled.

List of completed expressways

State roads

State roads are defined by legislation as important routes for road traffic between various parts of the country. Classification of a road as a ''state road'' does not describe actual conditions of the road itself. State roads in Croatia are assigned one, two or three digit numbers which generally comply with the following pattern (although there are some exceptions to the rules): * 1-19 are assigned to trunk roads, normally of considerable length, spanning between borders of various neighboring countries. An obvious exception to this is the D9 state road however it spans from

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

border and the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

, along the southernmost portion of Pan-European

Corridor Vc European route E73 forms part of the United Nations International E-road network, connecting Hungary and eastern Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Adriatic Sea in the vicinity of the port of Ploče. This route is also designated as the P ...

. * 20-99 are assigned to arterial roads on the mainland. * 100s are assigned to island roads * 200s are assigned to border crossing access roads. * 300s are assigned to junction roads, connecting towns or cities (but not other state roads) to motorways or other major roads. Notable exceptions to this are D307 and D310 state roads, although the D307 originally did not connect to the D29, but only to the A2 motorway. * 400s are assigned to mainland port and airport access roads. * 500s are assigned to connecting roads, connecting two different state roads. Notable exceptions to this rule are the D503 which connects to a port and the D516 which connects to a border crossing checkpoint. * 600s are provisional designations. For example, the road containing Pelješac bridge, from

Komarna Komarna is a village in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, in the municipality of Slivno; population 167 (2011). It is located near the larger village of Klek. The village is south of the Neretva Delta, 70 km north of Dubrovnik on the coast of ...

( D8) to Ston ( D416), is designated as D674. At the moment the state roads in Croatia have a combined length of .

D1 - D14

D20 - D77

D100 - D128

Tolls

In the Republic of Croatia, primarily a closed toll system is applied to the entire motorway network tolls with multiple entrances and exits. The use of motorways is charged by mileage and vehicle category. At the entrance on the motorway, the user picks up the entrance card (or a record recorded on the ENC device) and the payment is made on exit toll stations according to the length of the trip. The open system is in use at toll stations Bregana(A3) and Rupa(A7).

Safety

Croatia had 73 road deaths per million inhabitants estimated in 2019.

Maps

References

External links

HUKA - Croatian Association of Toll Motorways Concessionaires

{{Motorways in Europe Road transport in Croatia