A1 (Croatia) - Route Description

Route Description

The A1 motorway (Croatian: Autocesta A1) is a major north–south motorway in Croatia connecting the capital of the country, Zagreb, to the Dalmatia region, where the motorway follows a route parallel to the Adriatic coast. As a part of the road network of Croatia, it is a part of two major European routes: E65 Prague–Bratislava–Zagreb–Rijeka–Split–Dubrovnik and E71 Budapest–Zagreb–Karlovac–Bihać–Knin–Split. The motorway is of major importance to Croatia in terms of development of the economy; especially tourism and as a transit transport route. This has been reflected by an accelerated development of regions connected by the A1 motorway. A part of the motorway is considered to be a segment of the Adriatic–Ionian motorway.

The motorway currently spans 465.5 kilometers (289.2 mi) between Zagreb (Lučko interchange) and Vrgorac near Ploče via Split. The route serves Karlovac via D1, Gospić via D534, Zadar via D8 and D424 and Šibenik via D533. It is scheduled to extend to Ploče by around the end of 2012. The A1 motorway consists of two traffic lanes and an emergency lane in each driving direction along its entire length. The sole exception is Drežnik Viaduct where there are no emergency lanes. Almost all of the existing interchanges are trumpet interchanges, except for Lučko which is a stack. There are numerous rest areas along the motorway, providing various types of services ranging from simple parking spaces and restrooms to petrol stations, restaurants and hotels. As of June 2011, the motorway has 33 interchanges, providing access to numerous towns and cities and the Croatian state road network. The ultimate southern terminus of the motorway has been established to be near Dubrovnik.

Between the Lučko and Bosiljevo 2 interchanges, the motorway follows Pan-European corridor Vb, and is concurrent with the Zagreb–Rijeka motorway. The Bosiljevo 2 interchange distributes southbound A1 traffic flowing to Rijeka (via the A6 motorway) and to Split. That 67-kilometer (42 mi) segment of the motorway is operated by Autocesta Rijeka–Zagreb, while the remainder of the motorway is operated by Hrvatske autoceste.

An automatic traffic monitoring and guidance system is in place along the motorway. It consists of measuring, control and signaling devices, located in zones where driving conditions may vary—at interchanges, near viaducts, bridges, tunnels, and in zones where fog and strong wind are known to occur. The system comprises variable traffic signs used to communicate changing driving conditions, possible restrictions and other information to motorway users.

The motorway route offers a scenic ride through rolling hills in the north, mountains in its central section, and along the Dalmatian coast in the south. It serves, either directly or via connecting roads, a large number of tourist destinations such as Bjelolasica in Gorski Kotar, a large number of Adriatic Sea resorts and several national parks and nature parks. In Lika region those are Plitvice Lakes National Park, Sjeverni Velebit National Park and Velebit Nature Park, while in Dalmatia the motorway serves Paklenica National Park, Telašćica Nature Park, Kornati National Park, Lake Vrana Nature Park, Krka National Park and Biokovo Nature Park. The route also provides links to a number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Plitvice Lakes, Cathedral of St. James in Šibenik, Palace of Diocletian in Split and the Historic City of Trogir.