| Učka Tunnel | |
| Tunnel | |
 Učka Tunnel western approach (B8)
|
|
| Official name: Tunel Učka | |
| Country | Croatia |
|---|---|
| District | Istria County |
| Cities | Rijeka, Opatija, Matulji |
| Elevation | 500 m (1,640 ft) |
| Coordinates | 45°18′48″N 14°12′51″E / 45.31333°N 14.21417°E |
| Owner | Bina-Istra |
| Length | 5,062 m (16,610 ft) |
| Width | 9.1 m (30 ft) |
| [1] | |
The Učka Tunnel (Croatian: Tunel Učka) is an expressway toll tunnel on the B8 expressway in Croatia. Being part of the Istrian Y expressway network in Istria, it is 9.1 meters (30 ft) wide and 5,062 m (16,610 ft) long, the third longest in Croatia after the Mala Kapela and Sveti Rok tunnels. The tunnel consists of two tubes, each with two traffic lanes. Construction on the southern tube began in 1978 and it was opened for traffic on September 27, 1981. It is currently used for traffic in both directions. The northern tunnel is still under construction and as of November 2008[update] has not been finished yet.[1][2]
In a 2004 traffic safety testing by ADAC, the Učka Tunnel shared the last place with Tuhobić Tunnel, also from Croatia, being classified as a high-risk transportation utility.[3] As of 2008[update], the Tuhobić Tunnel has been upgraded to four lanes. However, no improvements have been made to the Učka Tunnel, causing a demonstration clogging the traffic at a tunnel entrance by Istrian bikers.[4] The fact that the tunnel bears a 28 kuna (US$ 5.80) toll, unusually high for Croatian highways, and that its roadway is in a bad shape, drew criticism from Croatian newspapers.[3]
Over 40 million vehicles have passed through the tunnel, with more than 2.7 million passing in 2007 alone. During the summer of 2008, on average 14,000 vehicles passed daily, prompting the highway concessioner to start working on the second tube. As of November 2008[update], 27 years have passed since the opening of the first tunnel and the traffic has increased sixfold, however the second tube remains incomplete.[2] The tunnel is run by Bina-Istra, a consortium operating on a BOT scheme, owning the highway in a concession from 1995 to 2027.[5]
See also
References
- ^ a b "The Most Important Road Structures". Bina-Istra. http://www.bina-istra.com/Default.aspx?sid=1156. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
- ^ a b Urošević, Agneza (2007-12-17). "Kroz tunel Učku prošlo 40-milijunto vozilo" (in Croatian). Poslovni.hr. http://www.poslovni.hr/64312.aspx. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
- ^ a b Nikolić, Miljenko (2004-04-29). "Učka najnesigurniji tunel u Europi prema njemačkom testu" (in Croatian). Index.hr. http://www.index.hr/clanak.aspx?id=199474. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ Dagostin, Anđelo (2008-08-16). "Bajkeri nadjačali policiju" (in Croatian). Glas Istre. http://www.glasistre.hr/?a82bd2d65d920a0512ada70b3c69da91,TS,3924,,19492,,243081,,. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ "The First Public-Private Partnership". Bina-Istra. http://www.bina-istra.com/Default.aspx?sid=1381. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
