The first four kilometres of the Istrian Ipsilon from the Učka tunnel towards Matulji will be opened to traffic in about ten days, and the entire full-profile project, including the Matulji interchange, should be completed by early 2027, announced the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković.
Butković visited the Matulji interchange construction site on Thursday together with the President of the Board of HAC (Croatian Autocestes) Boris Huzjan, the Director of Bina Istra Daria Silić, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Prefect Ivica Lukanović, Istria County Prefect Boris Miletić and Matulji Mayor Ingrid Debeuc.
The full-profile section from the Učka tunnel to the Matulji interchange is 10.5 kilometres long, and the value of the works is around 200 million euros. The first four kilometres are opening six months ahead of schedule, while the Limska Draga viaduct should be completed by the end of August. The Matulji interchange, worth 17.7 million euros, will connect the Istrian Ipsilon to the national motorway network.
The minister emphasised that the interchange with exits for Opatija and Matulji would permanently resolve the long-standing "bottleneck" in local traffic. He added that about 40 per cent of tourist traffic enters Croatia via this part of the Ipsilon.
A total of more than 600 million euros has been invested in the completion of the Ipsilon from Pazin to Matulji, in cooperation with the concessionaire Bina Istra. During the term of this government, the full profile from Učka to Pazin was completed and the second tube of the Učka tunnel was built.
The next step, announced Butković, is to turn the Ipsilon into the "Istrian X": the eastern part of Istria should receive a motorway section about 40 kilometres long towards Labin. The project is spatially planned, being prepared with the concessionaire and with the support of the European Commission, and work is planned to begin next year.
Butković also announced the start of works on the motorway towards Žuta Lokva. The Križišće – Jadranovo section will start in autumn, the contract for the Jadranovo – Selce section should be signed in about ten days, and the section with the Novy Vinodolski bypass should be completed in spring 2027.
