An important new road tunnel link is being planned in Slovakia. Construction of the Karpaty Tunnel will improve transport for the capital, Bratislava, and will cost €1 billion to build.
The Karpaty Tunnel will measure nearly 12km in length and connect the boroughs of Raca and Zahorska Bystrica to the north of the city, joining the important D4 highway route. By providing a bypass for Bratislava, through traffic will no longer have to enter the capital.
The tunnel will be driven using a TBM instead of using drill and blast techniques as has been favoured in Slovakia previously. When complete, it will be the longest road tunnel in Slovakia. However, other tunnel stretches on the D1 route may well be driven using a TBM in the future.
The alignment of the tunnel runs under the Small Carpathian mountain range and the project is being managed by Slovakia’s national roads company, NDS. The Karpaty Tunnel project is of note for the country given that the Visnove Tunnel remains incomplete.
