The Učka Tunnel () is a
toll tunnel
A toll tunnel is a road tunnel where a monetary charge (or ''Fee, toll'') is required to pass through. This is done by a gate before entering the tunnel or online.
List of toll tunnels United States
Tolls removed
* Hampton Roads Bridge–Tu ...
on the
A8 motorway in
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
, under the
Učka
The Učka (, ) is a mountain range in western Croatia. It rises behind the Opatija riviera, on the eastern side of the Istrian peninsula.
It forms a single morphological unit together with the Ćićarija range which stretches from the Bay of T ...
mountain range, as part of the
Istrian Y network in
Istria
Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; ; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian: ; ; ) is the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea. Located at th ...
owned and operated by
BINA Istra (owning the highway in a concession from 1995 to 2041).
The tunnel consists of two traffic tubes carrying two lanes each. The original tunnel tube, which opened for traffic on the , is wide and long. The second tunnel tube, opened for traffic on the is long. It is the third longest in Croatia after the
Mala Kapela and
Sveti Rok tunnels. Construction on the original tunnel tube began in 1978, and at the time of opening it was the longest road tunnel in Yugoslavia.
The toll is part of the rest of the
closed toll collection system in use on the Istrian Y. The shortest possible journey through it costs
EUR
The euro (symbol: €; currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the euro area or, more commonly, the eurozone. The euro is divided into 10 ...
4,50 for a
class I vehicle.
It is rated Class D/E under the
ADR treaty for hazardous materials transportation, and vehicles transporting restricted goods must be pre-arranged and escorted. It is the only suitable road between Istria and the rest of Croatia for vehicles over 5 tonnes.
In 2022 more than 1.94 million vehicles passed through with
AADT of 5,326 and
ASDT of 7,361.
Safety Concerns
In a 2004 traffic safety test by
ADAC
The ADAC, officially the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (), is Europe's largest automobile association. The ADAC is the largest wikt:Verein, ''verein'' (club) in Germany, with around 21 million members. Its headquarters are located i ...
, the Učka Tunnel shared the last place with
Tuhobić Tunnel, also from Croatia, being classified as a high-risk transportation utility.
In 2008, the Tuhobić Tunnel was widened to four lanes. However, no improvements were made to the Učka Tunnel, causing a demonstration clogging the traffic at a tunnel entrance by Istrian
bikers.
More serious implications of the tunnels lack of safety were seen in October 2019, when the European Commission recalled Croatia
on their obligations to comply with the minimum safety requirements set out in th
Tunnel Safety Directive Tunnels already in operation on 30 April 2006, and that were not already in accordance with the safety requirements, had to be modernized by 30 April 2014. For certain tunnels, as it is the case of Učka’s tunnel, that period could be prolonged by five years (until 30 April 2019). However, due to the lack of upgrade to the tunnel, this obligation was not met. As such, the government of Croatia accelerated the works.
Upgrade
In June 2011, BINA Istra announced that design documents were being prepared for construction of the second tunnel tube of the Učka Tunnel, and that construction was scheduled to start in mid-2012, estimating its completion in 2015.
However, this construction never started. It was transferred to be part of the wider
Istrian Y upgrade plan, as part of the 2B2-1 phase.
The excavation of the second tunnel tube started on 17 December 2020 and was officially completed on the 18 September 2023.
It was opened to traffic on , slightly later than originally planned.
In the existing tunnel tube, upgrades of the emergency and signalization systems are ongoing.
See also
*
A8 motorway
*
BINA Istra
*
Učka
The Učka (, ) is a mountain range in western Croatia. It rises behind the Opatija riviera, on the eastern side of the Istrian peninsula.
It forms a single morphological unit together with the Ćićarija range which stretches from the Bay of T ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ucka Tunnel
Road tunnels in Croatia
Toll tunnels in Europe
Buildings and structures in Istria County
Tunnels completed in 1981