Učka tunnel – Opening of the tunnel’s second tube on 13 September

The Učka tunnel is an important traffic link between Kvarner and Istria. The excavation of the new 5.6-kilometer tunnel tube started at the end of 2020 and the new tunnel will open to traffic on 13 September 2024. After the opening, the renovation of the old tunnel tube will begin.

In recent years, the Istrian motorway A8 has been under construction to complete the two-lane road.

While this was mostly achieved by the time of the opening on the A9 motorway from Umag to Pula (work is now also underway on the new viaducts at Mirna (Novigrad) and Limska Draga (Vrsar) to open two lanes in each direction), the last few sections of the A8 motorway on the stretches from Pazin to the Učka tunnel are only being completed now. As part of the new developments, the construction of the second Učka tunnel tube has been ongoing for the last four years.

As there are plans to also connect the section from the Matulji junction of the Rijeka bypass to the Učka tunnel via a two-lane road, work is already underway on this 10-kilometer stretch above Opatija, and is expected to be completed in the next three years.

Učka tunnel – opening of the new tube, renovation of the old one

The first Učka tunnel tube was opened in 1981, but as traffic has been increasing, especially during the peak tourist season with more than 20,000 vehicles passing on the busiest of days, the decision was taken to build a second tube, so that traffic in each direction would run in two lanes.

The grand opening of the new tunnel tube is scheduled for 13 September 2024, while final work on the safety systems and road signs is still being carried out.

The new tunnel will be open to traffic the following day, however, traffic will only run through both tubes until the end of September. At that time, maintenance work will start in the old tunnel tube, which should be completed by the end of May 2025. Until then, traffic will flow two-way through the newly opened tunnel tube.

The new tunnel tube is 500 meters longer than the old one and is constructed according to the latest safety requirements. As many as 74 surveillance cameras will monitor traffic and conditions in the tunnel. In total, there will be 24 cross-paths between the two tunnel tubes, and three additional large crossings for emergency interventions will be built during the renovation of the old tube.

The toll of driving through the Učka Tunnel is €4.50 for cars and €6.80 for motorhomes and vehicles of up to 3.5t towing a caravan. Various discounts are available for the users of ENC (electronic toll collection system).