R2 Expressway Pstruša - Kriváň2013-2015

The project primary objective was the construction of high-standard and high-capacity road – an expressway, for safe and unconstrained routing of mostly transiting vehicular traffic in the project area. Individual settlements along the route have the tendency of further growth especially around the industrial centres such as Detva. Great importance for further growth of this area’s economic activity will have mainly the recovery or further development of heavy industry in the District of Detva. For further growth there are planned areas practically in all settlements along the route. An expressway can help this activity. From recreation areas affected by the planned expressway it is necessary to mention especially the recreation area around the artificial lake Ružiná. In this section the traffic was routed on the existing I/50 road in the Slatinariver valley among mountain chains Slovenské Rudohorie, Poľana and Javorím, through the villages Vígľaš and Kriváň and the town of Detva and in direction to Lučenec. The R2 expressway was defined by the project of motorways and expressways construction, with the necessity to provide for high-standard and high-speed linking of the so called southern road corridor routed along the route of R2 Trenčín-Prievidza-Žiar nad Hronom-Zvolen-Lučenec-Rimavská Sobota-Rožňava-Košice.

In the given section the I/50 road is part of the international route E 571, (at the same time E 58).

The planned section of the R2 expressway will represent an important extension of coherent network of expressways in a new direction eastward from Zvolen in the alignment of southern expressway route to East-Slovakia Region.

This R2 expressway section has been designed to be constructed in R 24.5/100 category.

The R2 expressway starts at the chainage of 0.000 00 at the Pstruša interchange, where it connects to adjacent section of R2 expressway Zvolen East – Pstruša. It bypasses from the right the nature reserve Pstruša, crosses the railway line Zvolen – Fiľakovo and the Slatina river. The expressway route runs through the flat to hilly area of Slatina river inundation, along the existing I/50 road and the railway line Zvolen-Lučenec. The route is situated outside the municipalities of Vígľaš, Stožok and Detva. The route area consists prevailingly of intensively used agricultural land and meadows, the habitats of national and European importance (special protection areas) of level I protection. The route ends at the municipality of Kriváň at km 10.375 at an interchange of the same name with the II/526 road, where it links to the planned R2 section Kriváň – Lovinobaňa.

To driving public it should shorten, according to calculations, the thoroughfare between the municipalities of Pstruša and Kriváň from eleven to six minutes. For the local population living in the region affected the positive effect is above all the reduction in frequency of traffic passing through the villages Kriváň and Pstruša and the town of Detva. This section is used daily for passage by about 15 thousand vehicles, of which one fifth consists of heavy goods vehicles. Among further benefits of a new road may be included the cleaner environment, less noise and smell of exhaust gases or the better chance to attract new investments.

The whole R2 expressway will start in Trenčín and it is to carry the drivers as far as Košice. The new section of this expressway is a four-lane route in full (dual-carriageway four lane) cross-sectional profile which is 10,380 metres long and there are 13 bridges and ten kilometers long noise barrier situated on it. The construction was executed by the consortium named the “R2 Pstruša – Kriváň Consortium” the members of which were the companies Doprastav, JSC, STRABAG Ltd. and Váhostav – SK, JSC. The commencement of construction works was set forth in the contract for December 2013 and the completion for December 2015. As it is apparent also from the date of opening the road section to traffic (10^th November 2015), the Works were completed and opened to traffic without delay, even six weeks ahead of the deadline stipulated in the contract, which is an evidence of the quality and high intensity of construction works performed.