Raz: Krivan-Mytna Stretch on R2 Expressway to Open on 20 November

Bratislava/Krivan, 21 October (TASR) - The R2 expressway section between Krivan and Mytna (Banska Bystrica region) will open on 20 November, Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee) told a press conference in Bratislava on Tuesday. As the expressway section includes the longest viaduct in Slovakia, the bridge load test was performed in the first half of October. According to one of the contractors, dynamic load tests have also been carried out to assess how the structure responds to a truck driving at different speeds. The efforts to complete the R2 section in the Novohrad area also include construction work in Krivan and Mytna, where the new section connects to existing sections of the expressway. Due to the construction work near Mytna, the R2 section en route to Tomasovce was also closed in mid-August, with drivers having to take a detour via the I/16 road for the past two months. According to the National Highway Company (NDS), traffic between Mytna and Tomasovce is expected to resume when the newly built section from Krivan is opened. The Krivan–Mytna stretch runs through difficult terrain in the valley of the Krivansky Potok stream. The construction work began in 2021, and it was originally scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2024. The cost of the project has also increased from the initial contract price of €232 million (excl. VAT) to the current amount of some €270 million. "The final price will be known only after the construction work is completed and all costs are quantified," NDS told TASR in September. jrg/df