Skip to main content

Austria-Slovenia tunnel project awarded

Construction of the second tube of the Karawanks Tunnel connecting Austria and Slovenia is now going ahead. The work will be headed by Austrian contractors, ARGE Swietelsky Tunnelbau and Swietelsky Baugesellschaft. The 7.8km-long tunnel route runs under the Alpine Karawanks mountain range. The Austrian motorway operator Asfinag is investing around €168 million into the project, while the European Commission is providing €25 million. The work being carried out will include building new rescue routes as wel
August 9, 2018 Read time: 1 min
Construction of the second tube of the Karawanks Tunnel connecting Austria and Slovenia is now going ahead. The work will be headed by Austrian contractors, ARGE Swietelsky Tunnelbau and Swietelsky Baugesellschaft.


The 7.8km-long tunnel route runs under the Alpine Karawanks mountain range. The Austrian motorway operator Asfinag is investing around €168 million into the project, while the European Commission is providing €25 million. The work being carried out will include building new rescue routes as well as installing the latest fire protection facilities and communication systems.

Construction of the first tunnel commences in 1986 and this was opened to traffic in 1991. The tunnel links the Austrian Autobahn A11 from Villach with the A2 highway, running across the border to the Slovenian cities of Kranj and Ljubljana. The road tunnel forms part of the transport axis Munich-Salzburg-Ljubljana-Thessaloniki, also called Pan-European Corridor-X.

Related Content

  • Paraguay’s plan for road rebuilding
    September 30, 2015
    Paraguay’s Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) will award a series of road projects worth around US$1.3 billion in early 2016. These project include work on the first section of the bi-oceanic corridor, the reconstruction of Route 9, the expansion of Routes 2 and 7 and the second bridge connecting Paraguay with Brazil. The tender process for Route 9 from Remanso Bridge to the city of Mariscal Estigarribia will open shortly and the project is expected to cost around $380 million. The tender fo
  • Nepal's new bridge link
    February 13, 2012
    Construction work is underway in Nepal on one of the biggest box-girder bridges ever built in the country. The bridge is located in Mid West Nepal and measures just over 1km long.
  • Bosnia tunnel project; work starting
    November 1, 2019
    Construction work is due to start on the Prenj Tunnel project in Bosnia. The tunnel will form part of the important Corridor 5C route. Measuring 10km in length, the road and tunnel project is expected to cost €820 million to build. Funding is being supplied jointly by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The Bosnian Government has also secured a portion of the necessary funding from Bosnian banks. In addition, a contract has been agreed for the
  • China looks to the future with major highway plans
    February 15, 2012
    China is still moving ahead with plans that will give it the world's biggest highway system. Patrick Smith reports. As China's economy grows even more, keeping the country on the move has become a priority for the government. While the country has made great strides over the past decade in improving its infrastructure, the number of vehicles has also increased rapidly, and in some instances restrictions have been placed on them.