The A1 motorway (), also known as Slovenika or Styrian and Littoral motorway (), is long, connecting Šentilj (at the Austrian border) and Koper/Capodistria (on the shores of the Adriatic Sea). It connects several of the largest metropolitan areas of the country, including Maribor, Celje and Ljubljana, all the way to the Slovenian Littoral and port town of Koper.

Construction began in 1970 and the first section was finished in 1972, connecting Vrhnika and Postojna. Everyday operation of this initial stretch started on 29 December 1972.

The connection to Koper was finished on 23 November 2004. The second-to-last part, from Trojane to Blagovica, was opened on 12 August 2005. It was also the most expensive, having eight viaducts and two tunnels despite being only 11 km long. The final section, the eastern Maribor bypass, opened on 14 August 2009.

Route description The A1 motorway provides connection of Slovenia and Austria (only other motorway with border crossing to Austria being A2 motorway) and was from the very start an important route, because it connected the three largest cities in Slovenia – Ljubljana, Maribor and Celje. On the other hand, it also connected all those cities with Slovenian coast and provided better conditions for transit to Port of Koper. As of 2013 it is also the only motorway that is connected to all the other motorways in Slovenia.

As of 2013 motorway always has at least two traffic lanes in each direction and is rarely without emergency lane. On some parts it has three traffic lanes in one direction and two in another (usually the additional is for slow vehicles). Only Tunnel Golovec has three lanes in each direction. It was also planned that some other parts of highway will get additional lanes but most of plans were postponed due to lack of money.

Toll

Until 1 July 2008 all vehicles had to stop at tollgates and pay a toll. Since that date vignettes are required for all vehicles up to 3.5 tons, while heavier vehicles must still pay the toll at a tollgate. Tollgates are being rearranged so that two traffic lanes for lighter vehicles (with vignettes) are no longer divided by tollgates and vehicles can drive through at 60 kilometres per hour (37 miles per hour). Where tollgates are still standing as they were before 1 July 2008, the speed limit is 40 kilometres per hour (25 miles per hour). Since 2018, heavy vehicles need to pay toll with an electronic on-board unit attached on the windscreen and tollgates are not needed anymore.

There are six toll stations for heavier vehicles Pesnica, Tepanje, Vransko, Kompolje, Log and Videž. For R3 group it ranges from €3.40 to €19.60, together €47.10 at daytime (6 AM-10 PM) and from €3.00 to €17.60, together €42.30 at night (10 PM-6 AM). For R4 group it ranges from €4.90 to €28.30, together €68.20 at daytime (6 AM-10 PM) and from €4.40 to €25.50, together €61.40 at night (10 PM-6 AM).

Notable structures When most parts of motorway were already done, there came two parts that were something special, meaning tunnels near Trojane with most notable being Tunnel Trojane with length of almost 3 kilometres and thus second longest tunnel in Slovenia (the longest being Karawanks Tunnel) and viaduct Črni Kal, the longest viaduct in Slovenia, being longer than 1 kilometer and also 95 metres high.

Junction list

Šentilj - Srmin (245.3 km) Pyhrn Autobahn → from Graz, Austria0,0 kmŠentilj (SLO) - Spielfeld (AT) border crossing 0,5 kmPočivališče Šentilj Petrol / Petrol1,3 kmŠentilj Viaduct Bridge - 185 m (1)1,6 kmŠentilj3,7 kmKresnica Viaduct Bridge - 587 m 9,6 kmPočivališče Dobrenje MOL / MOL (2)10,7 kmMaribor north11,2 kmPekel ViaductBridge - 448 m (3)12,5 kmDragučova InterchangeA5 turns toward → Murska Sobota and Letenye 12,7 kmDragučova Viaduct Bridge - 448 m13,9 kmVodole V ViaductBridge - 321 m/180 m14,4 kmVodole IV ViaductBridge - 162 m14,8 kmVodole III ViaductBridge - 205 m15,2 kmVodole TunnelTunnel - 225 m/249 m15,5Vodole II ViaductBridge - 139 m16,0Vodole I Viaduct Bridge - 48 m16,1 kmMalečnik Covered cutTunnel - 185 m16,6 kmDrava Bridge - 765 m (4)17,5 kmMaribor east 18,9 kmPočivališče Maribor Petrol / Petrol (5)21,3 kmMaribor centre (6)23,5 kmRogoza24,9 kmRogoza ViaductBridge - 202 m (7)25,8 kmSlivnica Interchange (Maribor south)A4 turns toward → Ptuj and Zagreb (8)29,4 kmFram32,6 kmPočivališče Polskava 36,7 kmDevina Viaduct Bridge - 80 m (9)37,1 kmSlovenska Bistrica north (10)39,2 kmSlovenska Bistrica south44,7 kmVrhole Viaduct Bridge - 238 m45,6 kmPreloge Viaduct Bridge - 539 m 47,8 kmPočivališče Tepanje Petrol / Petrol (11)48,9 kmSlovenske Konjice50,5 kmDravinja Bridge - 21 m52,0 kmGolo Rebro TunnelTunnel - 788 / 757 m52,9 kmŠkedenj I ViaductBridge - 466 m / 542 m53,3 kmGrapa ViaductBridge - 63 m53,6 kmŠkedenj II Viaduct Bridge - 401 m / 398 m54,6 kmPletovarje TunnelTunnel - 708 m / 745 m56,4 kmSlatina Viaduct Bridge - 439 km (12)60,0 kmDramlje60,6 kmDramlje Viaduct Bridge - 141 m62,4 kmPočivališče Zima 63,3 kmŽepina Viaduct Bridge - 142 m (13)66,4 kmCelje east (14)69,9 kmCelje centre 73,5 kmPočivališče Lopata Petrol / MOL (15)Celje west (16)76,2 kmŽalec (17)83,7 kmŠempeter85,1 kmSavinjaBridge - 150 m (18)86,0 kmŠentrupertŠentrupert Interchange (planned)H8 will turn toward → Dravograd (19)94,0 kmVransko97,9 kmLočica TunnelTunnel - 750 m / 810 m99,0 kmLočica Viaduct Bridge - 825 m / 873 m100,0 kmJasovnik Viaduct Bridge - 120 m / 34 m100,8 kmJasovnik TunnelTunnel - 1633 m / 1612 m102,4 kmBaba Viaduct Bridge - 150 m / 170 m102,7 kmZlokarje Viaduct Bridge - 191 m / 208 m (20)103,4 kmTrojane103,5 kmJelševica Viaduct Bridge - 254 m / 144 m103,8 kmČrni Mlinar Viaduct Bridge - 261 m / 212 m104,7 kmTrojane TunnelTunnel - 2840 m / 2931 m107,7 kmŠentožbolt Viaduct Bridge - 410 m / 540 m108,4 kmPodmilj TunnelTunnel - 622 m / 613 m109,7 kmLog Viaduct Bridge - 160 m / 137 m110,1 kmJavorje Viaduct Bridge - 252 m / 227 m110,4 kmPetelinjek Viaduct Bridge - 622 m / 634 m111,1 kmSuša Viaduct Bridge - 80 m111,3 kmVranke ViaductBridge - 90 m / 91 m112,3 kmBlagovica ViaductBridge - 446 m / 449 m (21)112,8 kmBlagovica 121,1 kmPočivališče Lukovica MOL / Petrol (22)Lukovica (23)125,0 kmKrtina128,3 kmMlake Viaduct Bridge - 321 m / 330 m (24)128,6 kmDomžale129,9 kmKamnik Bistrica Bridge - 100 m (24a) x,x km bgcolor="#ECECEC"| Domžale Študa (planned)| bgcolor="#ECECEC"| | bgcolor="#ECECEC" | |- | (25) |134,3 km |Ljubljana Šentjakob

|135,3 km | colspan="2" |Sava |Bridge - 130 m |- | (26) |135,7 km |Ljubljana Sneberje

| (27) |136,8 km |Zadobrova Interchange | |Ljubljana Ring road |- | (28) |138,1 km |Industrijska cona Moste

| (29) |138,4 km |Ljubljana east

|139,4 km | colspan="2" |Ljubljanica |Bridge - 82 m |- | (30) |139,7 km |Ljubljana Bizovik

|141,6 km | colspan="2" |Strmec Covered cut |Tunnel - 200 m

|142,3 km | colspan="2" |Bizovik Viaduct |Bridge - 146 m / 175 m

|142,7 km | colspan="2" |Golovec Tunnel |Tunnel - 622 m / 595 m |- | (31) |143,3 km |Malence Interchange | |A2 turns toward → Novo Mesto and Zagreb Ljubljana Ring road

|143,5 km | colspan="2" |Malence D Viaduct |Bridge - 240 m |- | (32) |144,3 km |Ljubljana south

|144,7 km | colspan="2" |Rudnik Viaduct |Bridge - 152 m / 151 m |- | (33) |146,1 km |Ljubljana Rudnik

|147,7 km | colspan="2" |Ljubljanica |Bridge - 140 m |- | (34) |148,5 |Ljubljana centre

| rowspan="2" |149,7 km | colspan="2" |Počivališče Barje |Petrol / Petrol |- | bgcolor="#ECECEC"| (34a)| bgcolor="#ECECEC"|Ljubljana Barje (planned)| bgcolor="#ECECEC"| | bgcolor="#ECECEC"| |- | (35) |151,2 km |Ljubljana west

|151,7 km | colspan="2" |Dolgi Most Viaduct |Bridge - 344 m / 319 m |- | (36) |152,2 km |Kozarje Interchange | |A2 turn toward → Kranj and Villach Ljubljana Ring road |- | (37) |154,4 km |Brezovica

| (37a) |157,0 km |Dragomer

|166,7 km | colspan="2" |Ljubljanica |Bridge - 80 m |- | (38) |166,8 km |Vrhnika

|168,1 km | colspan="2" |Verd Viaduct |Bridge - 619 m / 586 m |- | (39) |175,1 km |Logatec

|176,3 km | colspan="2" |Počivališče Lom |Petrol / Petrol

|177,2 km | colspan="2" |Derviše Viaduct |Bridge - 69 m

|184,1 km | colspan="2" |Ivanje Selo Viaduct |Bridge - 225 m |- | (40) |185,4 km |Unec

|186,2 km | colspan="2" |Unec Viaduct |Bridge - 200 m

|191,9 km | colspan="2" |Ravbarkomanda Viaduct |Bridge - 588 m / 553 m

|192,8 km | colspan="2" |Počivališče Ravbarkomanda |MOL / MOL |- | (41) |196,6 km |Postojna

|198,1 km | colspan="2" |Pivka (river) |Bridge - 40 m

|200,0 km | colspan="2" |Počivališče Studenec

| (42) |206,3 km |Razdrto

| (43) |207,6 km |Nanos Interchange | |H4 turns toward → Gorizia

|209,1 km | colspan="2" |Goli vrh Viaduct |Bridge - 166 m / 120 m

|211,4 km | colspan="2" |Bandera Viaduct |Bridge - 278 m / 252 m |- | (44) |213,4 km |Senožeče

| (45) |217,5 km |Gabrk Interchange | |A3 , turn toward → Trieste

|218,0 km | colspan="2" |Gabrk Viaduct |Bridge - 90 m

|219,2 km | colspan="2" |Divača Viaduct |Bridge - 32 m

|220,3 km | colspan="2" |Počivališče Risnik

| (46) |220,8 km |Divača

| (47) |227,5 km |Kozina |

| runs along

|228,8 km | colspan="2" |Počivališče Ravne |Petrol

|229,5 km | colspan="2" |Klanec Viaduct |Bridge - 75 m

|231,2 km | colspan="2" |Glinščica Viaduct |Bridge - 230 m

|233,0 km | colspan="2" |Smelavc Viaduct |Bridge - 210 m

|234,0 km | colspan="2" |Kastelec Tunnel |Tunnel - 2195 m / 2303 m |- | (48) |236,0 km |Kastelec

|238,3 km | colspan="2" |Črni Kal Viaduct |Bridge - 1046 m / 1044 m |- | (49) |239,3 km |Črni Kal

|242,2 km | colspan="2" |Dekani Tunnel |Tunnel - 2190 m / 2182 m

|245,0 km | colspan="2" |Lama Viaduct |Bridge - 86 m |- | (50) |245,3 km |Srmin Interchange | | turns toward → Trieste or Koper

|245,7 km | colspan="2" |Bivje Viaduct |Bridge - 580 m / 563 m |- | bgcolor="#ECECEC"| (51) | bgcolor="#ECECEC"|246,8 km | bgcolor="#ECECEC"|Port of Koper (planned)''

Tunnels The motorway includes ten tunnels, two galleries and one covered cut: Gallery Dragučova right and left Vodole right , Vodole left Covered cut Malečnik right and left Golo rebro right , Golo rebro left Pletovarje right , Pletovarje left Ločica right , Ločica left Jasovnik right , Jasovnik left Trojane right , Trojane left Podmilj right , Podmilj left Gallery Strmec right and left Golovec right , Golovec left Kastelec right , Kastelec left Dekani right , Dekani left

Bridges

Motorway A1 has 101 viaducts, 109 bridges, 129 overpass in 117 underpass.

Some of the largest viaduct in the A1 (span greater than ): Kresnica right and left Pekel right and left Preloge right and left Škedenj I. right and left Ločica right and left Šentožbolt right and left Petelinjek right and left Blagovica right and left Verd right and left Ravbarkomanda right and left Črni kal right and left Bivje right and left

The Črni Kal Viaduct is the longest viaduct in Slovenia.

References