Raz: Announced Pre-Christmas Opening Date for Visnove Tunnel Still Stands

Krivan/Visnove, 20 November (TASR) - The announced opening date for the D1-motorway section between Lietavska Lucka and Dubna Skala (Zilina region), including the Visnove tunnel, remains 22 December 2025, Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee) told a press briefing on Thursday following the opening of the R2-expressway section between Krivan and Mytna in Banska Bystrica region. The pre-Christmas deadline for opening the section to drivers was announced by the transport minister after the government's away-from-home session in Visnove at the end of October. "We're still sticking to the date of 22 December and believe that we'll be able to launch it then. But there are still many tests that need to be carried out. Let's keep our fingers crossed that each one goes well," said Raz. Head of the National Highway Company (NDS) Filip Machacek also expressed his conviction that the 22 December deadline will be met. "We still have a lot of work to do before then. Construction-wise, everything is finished, but there are 15 kilometres of tunnel tubes that contain a huge amount of technology that has to work," noted Machacek. The NDS chief added that comprehensive tests are currently underway in the tunnel and that a joint exercise simulating a traffic accident and involving all rescue services is being prepared for 3 December. The Visnove tunnel will have a total length of 7.5 kilometres and will be the longest tunnel in Slovakia. The entire D1-motorway section between Lietavska Lucka and Dubna Skala, including the tunnel, will be 13.5 kilometres long. The section is part of the planned comprehensive connection between Bratislava and Kosice. am/df