D1 motorway (Slovakia)

D1 motorway is an east-west motorway () in Slovakia. The D1 motorway is the oldest, longest and busiest motorway in Slovakia, which is connects Bratislava with Trnava, Trenčín, Žilina, Martin, Poprad, Prešov, Košice to the Slovak-Ukrainian border (border crossing with Uzhhorod), where it is connected to the Ukrainian road M08.

It is part of the European roads E50, E58, E75, E442, E571 and of the V.A Pan-European corridor (Trieste) - Bratislava - Žilina - Košice - Uzhhorod - Lviv. With the exception of sections in Bratislava, Žilina, Prešov, Poprad and Košice, a vignette is required to use the motorway.

The motorway has been under construction since 1972 and by 2023, 395.9 km of the total planned length of 512.4 km were operational. Despite the various completion dates set in the past (1990, 2000, 2005, 2010 or 2013), the full length will not be passable until 2040 at the earliest.

Chronology

The first plans to connect Prague to Slovakia and Mukachevo in today's Zakarpattia Oblast in Ukraine, which was part of Czechoslovakia at that time, were in the 1930s. The construction of the motorway (freeway) began in the Czech part in the late 1930s, but in the Slovak part nothing was built. After the end of World War II, highway construction was abandoned, due to post-war reconstruction. But in the 1960s, traffic was growing very fast, and a new plan for a D1 highway was available soon, without the part in Zakarpattia Oblast, which became part of the USSR in 1945..

Construction began in 1973, by building the Ivachnová - Liptovský Mikuláš section, a segment in northern Slovakia. Construction on this section finished in December 1977 and cost 241.3 million Czechoslovak korunas. In 1976, section created the southern bypass of Liptovský Mikuláš. The total cost of the construction amounted to 368 million Czechoslovak korunas. The section between Liptovský Ján and Liptovský Hrádek with a length of kilometres was under construction from April 1975 to December 1983 and had once the longest road bridge in Slovakia - the 1,035-metre-long Podtureň Viaduct.

Between 1978 and 1982, a section was constructed between Trnava and Hlohovec. June 1980 saw the beginning of construction in a new section between Hlohovec and Piešťany which was put into operation in 1985.

A section between Horná Streda - Nové Mesto nad Váhom opened in half-profile as a D61 in 1998, and was finished as the motorway D1 in full profile in 2000. A section between Nové Mesto nad Váhom - Chocholná also opened in half-profile as a D61 in 1998, and was subsequently finished as the D1 in full profile in 2000.

The section of motorway in Bratislava did not begin until 20 March 2003. The construction was handed over for early use on 4 December 2005, while the gradual finishing works on the footbridges continued until June 2006. The total construction costs amounted to 1.908 billion SKK.

The section between Hričovské Podhradie - Lietavská Lúčka forms the first part of the southern bypass of Žilina and includes the Ovčiarsko and Žilina tunnels. The construction of the section began with the excavation of the exploratory tunnel of the Ovčiarsko tunnel back in 1996. After the completion of the exploratory tunnel, further construction of the section was postponed. Construction work has continued only since 2014. The contractual completion date was January 2018. This deadline could not be met and the section was not handed over for use until 29 January 2021. This section was financed through the European Union budget.

Section at Prešov was opened in late 2021. That also includes the Prešov tunnel with 2240 meters of length.

The section between Lietavská Lúčka and Dubná Skala, whose exploration tunnel works are dating back to 1998, but actual construction started in 2015, was opened on December 22, 2025. The Višnové tunnel is included within the section and after the opening, it became the longest tunnel on the motorway.

Future developments

The construction of the Hubová - Ivachnová section (Ružomberok bypass), which after multiple delays, is set to be completed in 2026. The 15 km long section includes the Čebrať tunnel along with 19 bridges and 3 junctions. The cost is estimated to be around €320 million, of which €125 million is funded by the European Union.

The construction of the Turany - Hubová section, which will be the last missing section on the Bratislava - Košice route, has not yet started. According to an ongoing public procurement for the section, the duration of the construction should be 7 years with the estimated cost being €1.5 billion.

Route description

Bridges and viaducts This is a list of bridges and viaducts as seen when moving from west to east:

Location Length (m) Notes Ovsište 567 Prístavný most 1,080 Prievoz 1,756 Horná Streda 772 Beckov 336 Drietoma 238 Súčanka 404 / 486 Újazd 486 / 490 Kočkovský kanál 187 Nosický kanál 227 Ladce 189 / 186 Pružinka 902 Sverepec I 443 / 480 Sverepec II 315 / 310 Kunovec open July 2010 Galanovec open July 2010 Matúška open July 2010 Považská Bystrica 1,444 open 30 May 2010 Hričovský kanál 1,695 July 2010 Vrtižer open July 2010 Plevník-Drienové Predmier 2 lanes Dolný Hričov 1,804 planned; open 2012? Lietavská Lúčka 1,091 planned; open 2012? Dubná Skala planned Turčianské Kľačany 422 planned Turany planned Krpeľany planned Kraľovany planned Stankovany planned Hubová I planned Hubová II planned Lisková planned Podtureň 1,038 Jamníček 179 Belá 308 Dovalovec 534 Hybica 571 / 565 Východná 380 Jánošiková studnička 381 Belianský potok 347 Čierny jarok 184 Važec 638 open 2007? Štrba 600 open 2007? Pod Skalkou open 2008 Levoča planned Spišský Hrhov planned Beharovce 225 2 lanes Studenec 102 2 lanes Pongrácovce 343 2 lanes Fričovce 407 Malá Svinka 255 open 2008 Malý Šariš 494 open 2008

Tunnels There are total of twelve tunnels on the D1, of which nine are in operation. The latest one to open is the Čebrať tunnel, inaugurated in October 2026. Planned tunnels include the Korbieľka tunnel and the Havran tunnel. The Dargov tunnel might not be built in the future due to studies that found a more efficient route without the tunnel. The use of tunnels comes included with the vignette.

This is a list of tunnels as seen when moving from west to east: Tunnel Length (m) NotesMaximum speed limitVehicles per dayADR category Ovčiarsko 2,275 opened on January 29, 2021N/AA Žilina 651 opened on January 29, 2021N/AA Višňové 7,500 opened on December 22, 202520,000 (January 2026)A Korbieľka 5,859 planned— N/A— Havran 2,702 planned—N/A— Čebrať 3,600 opened on October 5, 2026N/A— Lučivná 250 opened on December 11, 2007N/AA Bôrik 999 opened on December 8, 2009N/AA Šibenik 600 opened on November 30, 2015N/AA Branisko 4,975 opened on June 19, 2003 in a half profile, full profile planned17,500 (May 2025)E Prešov 2,244 opened on October 28, 2021N/AADargov1,050planned?—N/A—

Gallery

D1 motorway (Slovakia)

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