A1 (Croatia)
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| Dalmatina | |
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| Length: | 458.0 km (285 mi) |
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| Planned length: | 553.7 km (344.1 mi) |
| From: | Zagreb |
| Major junctions: |
 A3 near Zagreb B1 near Karlovac A6 near Bosiljevo A7 near Žuta LokvaB502 near Zadar  A10 near Ploče |
| To: | Dubrovnik |
| Countries: | Croatia |
| Regions: | Zagreb, Zagreb County, Karlovac County, Lika-Senj County, Zadar county, Šibenik-Knin County, Split-Dalmatia County, Dubrovnik-Neretva County |
| Major cities: | Zagreb, Karlovac, Zadar, Split, Ploče, Dubrovnik |
The A1 highway (Croatian: Autocesta A1, nicknamed Dalmatina or King Tomislav Highway, Croatian: Autocesta kralja Tomislava) is a highway in Croatia. It currently measures 416 kilometers (258 mi) from Zagreb (Lučko interchange) via Split to Ravča. Šestanovac–Ravča, the newest segment, was opened on December 22, 2008. It is scheduled to reach Ploče in 2009 and later Dubrovnik. There is currently a dispute about ending the highway at Osojnik border crossing with Bosnia and Herzegovina or extending to Debeli Brijeg near Montenegro.
The A1 is generally considered to be one of the Croatia's main trunk roads, as it connects the country's continental part and the capital Zagreb with the Croatian coast and the second-largest city, Split. It is the first highway (Croatian: autocesta) to cross the mountainous Dinaric Alps (Lika) of the country. It is a toll highway. The section from Lučko interchange to Bosiljevo interchange is operated by the company Autocesta Rijeka-Zagreb d.d. and the section from Bosiljevo to Šestanovac exit is operated by Hrvatske autoceste d.d.
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[edit] Characteristics
The highway consists of two travel lanes and an emergency lane in each direction in its full length. Completion of entire Zagreb - Split section was marked on 30.05.2009. when second tubes of Mala Kapela Tunnel and the Sveti Rok Tunnel were opened for traffic. Both tunnels have the peculiarity of separating two distinct climate zones. Mala Kapela tunnel lies between the continental climate of central Croatia and the mountain climate of the Gorski Kotar, while Sveti Rok tunnel presents a link between Gorski Kotar with its mountain climate and the Mediterranean climate of Dalmatia. Almost all interchanges are trumpets, except Lučko (stack) and planned Žuta Lokva interchange (directional T).
The highway offers a scenic drive through rolling hills in the north, mountains in its central section, and runs along the Dalmatian coast in the south. It passes through or near several national parks - the Plitvice Lakes and the Krka National Park. There are numerous service areas alongside the highway.
On the downside, the holiday-season queues for the route's tollbooths and tunnels can be truly immense, a problem much enhanced by the inflexible (Saturday-to-Saturday only) approach adopted as regards tourist stays at Croatia's coastal resorts. As of 2009. holiday season, no traffic jams should occur at two longest tunnels after opening second tubes. At the same time, toll boths at Lučko were also extended from 15 to 25 lanes. Additional 10 toll lanes were added in Demerje, 3km from existing ones, for fast cashless tolling. Due to faster cashless system, it is estimated that this upgrade would in theory allow as much as five times more vehicles to pass. Nominated capacity rises from 2325 to 11500 vehicles per hour. True impact of this upgrade would be clear after 2009. season.
Future plans for second Zagreb beltway incorporated in tolled highway system will be an ultimate solution for congestion at Lučko toll station. Currently, since existing Zagreb bypass is not tolled, vehicles even just passing Zagreb must exit tolled highway and then re-enter the highway system.
[edit] History
The A1 was the showpiece project of the Croatian government and a symbol of uniting the country. The first section from Zagreb to Karlovac was built in the 1970s, but the construction was soon stopped. An attempt to revive it occurred in the 1990s when the drilling of the Sveti Rok Tunnel began. More massive construction ensued since the beginning of the 2000s, culminating with the grand opening of the section Karlovac-Split on June 26, 2005. The section between Split and Šestanovac opened on June 27, 2007. The construction cost for the Karlovac-Split part was 17 billion kuna (about € 2.2 billion).[1]
[edit] Further construction
Since the opening of the Zagreb-Split section, the construction has continued towards Dubrovnik. Completion as far as Ploče was scheduled for December 2008 (60 km). The route the A1 is to follow past Ploče has not been fixed yet as several options exist.
It is likely that the Pelješac bridge will be incorporated into the highway. Bosnia and Herzegovina's authorities are opposed to this alignment. There is also the possibility of a deal with Bosnia and Herzegovina that would permit the A1 to run partly through a small strip of its territory at Neum (as it was originally planned) and then continue further to Dubrovnik, though that version incorporates the Neum border crossing, which has become a taboo for Croatian highway and road authorities since the indepedence of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The route planned by HAC incorporates the A1 highway over the Pelješac bridge with an optional expressway across Bosnia and Herzegovina. One version also has the highway stop at Ploče at the interchange with A10 highway (Corridor Vc) and an expressway continue south to Dubrovnik. Currently, the state route D8 remains the fastest route south of Šestanovac and Ploče.
[edit] Exit list
| A1 exit list | |||||
| # | Name | Km | County | Destination | Notes |
| Northern terminus | City of Zagreb | Jadranska Avenue | Continues as a ten-lane expressway towards Puškarićeva Street exit and Western Rotary | ||
| 1 |  Lučko |
0.0 | City of Zagreb | A3 |
Stack interchange. Interchange actually contains two loop ramps, but it still has five levels (including Puškarićeva). |
 Lučko toll plaza |
0.6 | City of Zagreb | The toll plaza has 15 lanes, but regularly experiences high congestion during summer. In 2009. new plaza opened in Demerje with additional 10 lanes hopped to alleviate traffic backups. | ||
| (1b) |  Kupinečki Kraljevec |
City of Zagreb | unknown hwy. | Proposed interchange with the Zagreb second beltway. | |
| 2 |  Jastrebarsko |
20.0. | Zagreb County | D310 | Trumpet interchange. |
| 3 | Karlovac |
38.6 | Karlovac County | B1, D36, D505 |
B1 expressway continues through Karlovac. An at-grade intersection is located right after the toll plaza. |
| 4 | Novigrad |
50.0 | Karlovac County | L34059 | Trumpet interchange. |
| 5 | Bosiljevo 1 |
63.0 | Karlovac County | D3 | A local exit for Bosiljevo and nearby places. |
| 6 | Bosiljevo 2 |
66.6 | Karlovac County | A6 |
Limited access trumpet interchange, no access from ordinary roads. Traffic normally defaults onto A1. |
| (6b) | Josipdol |
Karlovac County | unknown expy. | An expressway is planned to continue eastbound to Glina, Sisak and A3 highway at Popovača. It has been accepted by the Ministry of Transport and is currently in land acquisition stage. | |
| 7 | Ogulin |
86.6 | Karlovac County | D42 | This is the last interchange before the Mala Kapela Tunnel. |
 Mala Kapela Tunnel |
Karlovac County / Lika-Senj County | Mala Kapela Tunnel is at 5780 meters the longest tunnel in Croatia. Second tube was opened to traffic on 30.05.2009. | |||
| Brinje Tunnel |
Lika-Senj County | Brinje Tunnel was already completed with both tubes at the time of opening of its respective section. It is 1560 m long. | |||
| 8 | Brinje |
115.1 | Lika-Senj County | D23 | Often congested at summer due to travellers using Mala Kapela Tunnel and exiting at the first exit afterwards. It also currently serves as a replacement for the former Žuta Lokva exit for places east of the highway. |
| 9 | Žuta Lokva |
124.8 | Lika-Senj County | A7 |
A short stretch of A7 is currently built only partly in the direction of Senj. The A7 will eventually supersede the Adriatic Highway as the fastest route down the coast. |
| 10 | Otočac |
137.7 | Lika-Senj County | D50 | |
| Plasina Tunnel |
Lika-Senj County | The Plasina Tunnel is 2300 meters long. | |||
| Grič Tunnel |
Lika-Senj County | Grič Tunnel is 1214 m long. | |||
| 11 | Perušić |
169.7 | Lika-Senj County | D50, Ž5155 | Connecting Perušić municipality to the highway. |
| 12 | Gospić |
181.2 | Lika-Senj County | D25 | Provides access to Gospić, Karlobag and Korenica. One of the most used exits in the region. |
| 13 | Gornja Ploča |
204.2 | Lika-Senj County | unknown expy. | The expressway continues to Udbina to an interchange with D1 |
| 14 | Sveti Rok |
210.0 | Lika-Senj County | D50 | The last southbound exit before Sveti Rok Tunnel. The section between Sveti Rok and Posedarje exits is usually gridlocked during summer weekends. |
| Sveti Rok Tunnel |
Lika-Senj County / Zadar County | One of the most important tunnels of Croatia. It is 5686 m long, being second in length only to Mala Kapela Tunnel. | |||
| 15 | Maslenica |
242.9 | Zadar County | D8 | The Adriatic Highway southbound continues onto the highway at this interchange. The A1 is the only access to Paklenica from south. |
| 16 | Posedarje |
250.1 | Zadar County | D106 | Town of Posedarje and Pag island are readily accessible from the highway at this exit. |
| 17 | Zadar 1 |
253.9 | Zadar County | D8 | The end of D8 concurrency. This is also the exit used by those going to Zadar from the north. |
| 18 | Zadar 2 |
262.9 | Zadar County | B502 | The B502 expressway continues west to Zadar and Zadar Airport. This entrance to Zadar is most used by those going to Zadar from south or from east. |
| 19 | Benkovac |
279.2 | Zadar County | D27 | PP Vransko Jezero can be accessed here. |
| 20 | Pirovac |
301.2 | Šibenik-Knin County | D59 | The road continues south to Tisno, Pirovac and the Murter island. |
| 21 | Skradin |
311.4 | Šibenik-Knin County | D56 | Provides direct access to NP Krka |
| 22 | Šibenik |
320.4 | Šibenik-Knin County | D8 connector | A short connector road running through Dumbočica Tunnel continues straight to Šibenik, only a few kilometers away from the highway. |
| 23 | Vrpolje |
335.0 | Šibenik-Knin County | D58 | |
| 24 | Prgomet |
352.4 | Split-Dalmatia County | Ž6112 | Western approach for Split. |
| 25 | Vučevica |
366.2 | Split-Dalmatia County | unknown expy. | The new northern entrance for Split connects to the A1 at this interchange. A bridge between Split peninsula and Kaštel Gomilica is planned, which will increase the usage of this interchange. |
| Konjsko Tunnel |
Split-Dalmatia County | Located north of Split, the Konjsko Tunnel is the longest tunnel in Split-Dalmatia County, being 1262 meters long. It is a part of the important section Vučevica-Dugopolje. | |||
| 26 | Dugopolje |
380.0 | Split-Dalmatia County | B1, D1 |
The eastern entrance of Split, the B1 expressway (formerly part of state route D1) crosses the highway at this interchange. |
| 27 | Bisko |
391.0 | Split-Dalmatia County | D60-62 connector | The D60-62 connector expressway makes up for a direct connection between A1 highway and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is currently finished up to Čaporice. |
| 28 | Blato na Cetini |
409.2 | Split-Dalmatia County | Ž6142 | |
| 29 | Šestanovac |
416.0 | Split-Dalmatia County | D39 | It currently serves as the connection to Baška Voda and further south. A direct connection by D62 connector to Baška Voda is planned from future Zagvozd exit through Sveti Ilija Tunnel (English: Saint Elijah). |
| 30 |  Zagvozd |
Split-Dalmatia County | |||
| 31 | Ravča |
458.0 | Split-Dalmatia County | ||
| (32) | Ploče 1 |
Dubrovnik-Neretva County | A10 |
Interchange with A10 is currently planned. | |
| Southern terminus | Split-Dalmatia County | (none) | Highway is in construction to Ploče and interchange with A10 highway. It is planned to continue to Dubrovnik and Montenegrin border. | ||
[edit] Gallery
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This section looks like an image gallery. Wikipedia policy discourages galleries of random images of the article subject; please edit the section in accordance with the policy, moving freely licensed images to Wikimedia Commons if they are not already hosted there. (February 2009) |
 Karlovac interchange with B1 (Croatia) |
 A1 near the Sveti Rok Tunnel |
 View from the A1 50 km north of the Sveti Rok Tunnel |
 Trtar hill with windmills and A-1 highway, near Šibenik |
 Bridge over Krka |
 OMV gas station at Janjče |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: A1 highway in Croatia |
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