D3 Svrčinovec - Skalité Motorway, 1/2 profile

Partnership: D3 Svrčinovec - Skalité
Lead Partner: Váhostav - SK, a.s.
Partners: Doprastav, a.s., STRABAG s.r.o., Metrostav SK, a.s.

The Svrčinovec - Skalitéstretch is part of the D3 motorway; the road starts at Hričovské Podhradie and ends on the Slovak and Polish border. This D3 motorway’s stretch is one of great importance for Žilina Region in that it forms an important trunk route to connect Slovakia to its northern neighbour - Poland. It is to provide link between our capital city as well as the south-west Slovakia regions and the Kysuce region in the north while becoming an important point of northwards connection to the Czech Republic with Svrčinovec being the point for the R5 express road to join the D3 motorway and connect the two countries via another motorway stretch. The construction of the D3 Svrčinovec - Skalité motorway stretch enters the cadastral areas of Svrčinovec, Čierne and Skalité municipalities. It runs through the Čadca district in Žilina Region.

This motorway stretch with an overall length of more than 12 kilometres, in a half profile, also consists of 24 bridges, some of which reaching the heights of 70 to 80 m, and two tunnels found in challenging hydrogeological conditions. The difficulty is also underscored by the fact that the project will have to comply with the contractual conditions of FIDIC’s Yellow Book, where the initial six months of the construction period will be covered by design and engineering activities. In addition, the works are to include an interchange and a new resting area; it will also require a relocation of 23 local, field and forest roads. The Valy bridge with the highest pillar across Slovakia is the most grandiose feature of the project with its height to be up to 78 metres. The works start immediately before the Svrčinovec junction - a place where the D3 motorway stretch from Čadca (Buková) is to join this road in the future. At the same time, the new stretch becomes connected to the existing road network for the motorist to be able to use connection with three countries - Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, and Poland. Behind the motorway junction the route is directly entering the shorter tunnel - Svrčinovec. From there the new motorway leads along the slopes of the River Čierňanka valley, along the outskirts of the Svrčinovec, Čierne and Skalité municipalities, to eventually get to the second tunnel - Poľana. After covering more than 12 kilometres, the new motorway stretch joins the existing D3 stretch, Skalité - national border SK/PL.

The project is particularly beneficial in that this D3 stretch cuts the time to get from Svrčinovec to the national border with the Republic of Poland by 10 minutes compared with the existing I/12 road. The new portion of the motorway that leads through Svrčinovec, Čierne and Skalité reduces, in a fundamental way, the current negative impact of traffic while significantly improving the living conditions of citizens in the municipalities.

Basic parameters:

Stretch length 12.28 km
Poľana Tunnel 898 m
Svrčinovec Tunnel 435 m
Svrčinovec Junction
Čierne Resting Area