Tuhobić Tunnel ( hr, Tunel Tuhobić) is one of the most significant structures on the
Croatian A6 motorway route. As it is long (southbound tube), Tuhobić Tunnel is the longest tunnel on the A6 motorway route. The tunnel is located at above sea level, connecting the
Gorski Kotar and
Croatian Littoral
Croatian Littoral ( hr, Hrvatsko primorje) is a historical name for the region of Croatia comprising mostly the coastal areas between traditional Dalmatia to the south, Mountainous Croatia to the north, Istria and the Kvarner Gulf of the Adria ...
regions.
The tunnel is located between the
Vrata
Vrata is a Sanskrit word that means "vow, resolve, devotion", and refers to pious observances such as fasting and pilgrimage ( Tirtha) found in Indian religions such as Jainism and Hinduism. It is typically accompanied with prayers seeking hea ...
and
Oštrovica interchanges.
Tunnel excavation started in 1996, and the first tunnel tube opened in 1997, along with some sections of
Rijeka–
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 ...
motorway. Since the motorway was initially executed as a
semi-motorway, the second tunnel tube was not excavated for a decade — its construction started August 2006, excavation was completed in August 2007, and the completed motorway, including the second Tuhobić Tunnel tube was opened on October 22, 2008.
The tunnel is
tolled within the A6 motorway
closed toll collection system. There are no other toll plazas related to use of the tunnel.
Safety
European Tunnel Assessment Program (EuroTAP), a tunnel safety assessment program supported by the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
, coordinated by
FIA
FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used.
Fia or FIA may also refer to: People
* Fia Backs ...
and led by German motoring club
ADAC
ADAC, officially the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (), is Europe's largest motoring association. ADAC is the largest club (Verein) in Germany with around 21 million members. It would be more aptly described today as an individual mo ...
, tested Tuhobić Tunnel twice — once in 2004, when it achieved poor results, and once again in 2009 after implementation of EuroTAP safety recommendations. Unlike the first inspection, in the 2009 test, the tunnel ranked the second safest in Europe.
Traffic volume
Traffic is regularly counted and reported by
Autocesta Rijeka–Zagreb, operator of the A6 motorway and the tunnel, and published 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 ...
.
Substantial variations between annual (
AADT
Annual average daily traffic, abbreviated AADT, is a measure used primarily in transportation planning, transportation engineering and retail location selection. Traditionally, it is the total volume of vehicle traffic of a highway or road for a ...
) and summer (ASDT) traffic volumes are attributed to the fact that the motorway carries substantial tourist traffic to
Istria and
Kvarner Gulf
The Kvarner Gulf (, or , la, Sinus Flanaticus or ), sometimes also Kvarner Bay, is a bay in the northern Adriatic Sea, located between the Istrian peninsula and the northern Croatian Littoral mainland. The bay is a part of Croatia's internal wa ...
resorts. The traffic count is performed using analysis of toll ticket sales.
See also
*
A6 motorway
*
List of longest tunnels
This list of longest tunnels ranks tunnels that are at least long. Only continuous tunnels are included. Pipelines, even those that are buried, are excluded. The longest tunnels have been constructed for water distribution, followed by tunnels ...
References
External links
Autocesta Rijeka–Zagreb: Tuhobić Tunnel webcam*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuhobic Tunnel
Road tunnels in Croatia
Buildings and structures in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County
Tunnels completed in 1997
Transport in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County