DARS’s formal approval of the proposal was received on Thursday; the agency confirmed that the tunnel was being excluded from its toll network. As was explained in the official opinion issued by the municipalities of Koper and Izola, new traffic regulations will come into effect between Žusterna and Izola.

The plan calls for a complete closure of a segment of the coastal road, between the Krožna Cesta and the Ruda junctions. The move marks the conclusion of a multi-year battle to provide new development opportunities for one of the most attractive parts of the Slovenian coast.

The closure goes into effect on March 20
The total colure of the coastal road, which the two municipalities proposed in their report on new traffic regulations, will go into effect on March 20 at 11 a.m., which means that all motorized traffic will be redirected to local roads and the Markovec tunnel at that that time. The only exceptions will be emergency vehicles and residents who use this stretch of the road to access their homes. This exception is only in effect for those driving from the direction of Koper.

The new traffic regulation will also result in changes to public transportation between Koper, Izola, and Piran. Buses will be diverted to the Koper-Izola highway through the Markovec tunnel. The municipality will coordinate the changes with the public transportation provider Arriva in the next few days and will present them publicly on Tuesday.

A process that has lasted months
DARS received a proposal from the Koper and the Izola municipalities last year asking for traffic to be redirected though Markovec because of the planned closure of the coastal road. In December, the government passed an amendment to the act governing highways and tolls, which expanded the possibility of redirecting traffic under the condition that DARS approves the request made by party proposing the redirection and offering a toll-free alternative. This solution was applicable in the Markovec tunnel case because both the Koper and the Izola municipalities have argued for the tunnel to be excluded from the toll network.

Radio Koper; Translated by J. B.