The Sveti Ilija Tunnel ( hr, Tunel Sveti Ilija; ) is a road
tunnel through
Biokovo mountain that connects the coastal and continental parts of the
Split-Dalmatia County
Split-Dalmatia County ( hr, Splitsko-dalmatinska županija ) is a central-southern Dalmatian county in Croatia. The administrative center is Split. The population of the county is 455,242 (2011). The land area is 14.106,40 km2.
Split-Dalmat ...
.
Location and characteristics
The tunnel is long, while the western, service tube is . Roadway is wide.
Tunnel is carrying
D76 state road. It passes through Biokovo between the
Bast in the municipality of
Baška Voda
Baška Voda () is a municipality in Croatia in the Split-Dalmatia County. It has a population of 2,775 (2011 census), 96.2% of which are Croats. It is located on the Adriatic coastline of Dalmatia 10 km northwest of Makarska.
Climate
Ba ...
(south side) and
Rastovac in the municipality of
Zagvozd (north side).
It is named after the peak of the same name under which it is located. It is the fourth longest tunnel 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 ...
, but first in Europe by overburden of (height from tube to the ground) in
Karst
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
massif.
The construction of the tunnel started on March 25, 2008 from the north side. The tunnel was broken on January 21, 2010.Two companies participated in drilling: ''
Hidroelektra niskogradnja'' from
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 ...
, which were breaking the tunnel from the north side; and ''
Konstruktor
Konstruktor inženjering d.d. is a Croatian construction company which was founded in 1945 as "Konstruktor-Split" in Split, Yugoslavia (today's Croatia).
Konstruktor was the first construction company in Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; ...
'' from
Split, which were breaking the tunnel from the south side.
Not far from the tunnel in the area of Turija, during
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's reign in 1809, a commemorative plaque was placed on the occasion of the completion of the construction of the road that stretched from
Obrovac to
Boka Kotorska, the so-called French Road. Two hundred years later, the tunnel was built as part of the modern road links between the Dalmatian hinterland and the coast.
The highest altitude of is approximately halfway through the tunnel.
It was opened on July 8, 2013. From 2018, tunnel is not tolled.
Comparison with other tunnels:
* the highest overlay of the
Sveti Rok tunnel is 580 m;
* the highest overlay of the
Karawanks Tunnel tunnel is 1120 m.
References
External links
Zagvozd - Tunnel through Biokovo*
{{Europe-tunnel-stub
Road tunnels in Croatia
Buildings and structures in Split-Dalmatia County
Tunnels completed in 2013