A bypass skirting Ptuj to the south is economically more justifiable, says the Ministry of Infrastructure. "This road makes sense as a whole, as a toll motorway, with speeds of 100kph," said Darja Kocjan from the Land Transport Directorate at the Ministry of Infrastructure.

"The economic and financial study has shown that a northern option is not viable. Neither for Ptuj nor for the communities in the area. From the perspectives of finance and transport, we have to go with the southern option, which crosses the Natura 2000 area," said Jurij Borko, mayor of Središče ob Dravi.

An ecology study will be needed due to the fact that the motorway's southern route crosses the Natura 2000 area. Vesna Kolar Planinšič from the Environment Directorate says that "an impact assessment regarding its admissibility in a protected area needs to be conducted, along with a report on its impact on the environment, so that the ecological perspective can be assessed – just like the economic perspective has been."

The mayors would like the impact assessment to be carried out in the field as soon as possible, so that the construction of the Ormož–Ptuj motorway, which has only just started, does not get interrupted. Milan Gabrovec, mayor of Markovci, is convinced that the procedures will unfold fast, because of Jure Leben, the new Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning.

Alojz Sok, the mayor of Ormož, thinks that "the option along the lake’s southern side, which is the only possible option, needs to be taken forward."

At their next meeting (to be held within a couple of months), the mayors would like to meet both Leben, the new Environment Minister, and Alenka Bratušek, the Minister of Infrastructure.