New state road DC 403 officially opens to traffic

On October 18, 2023, a special ceremony marked opening of the state road DC403 on the section from the Škurinje junction to the Port of Rijeka. The opening of the state road DC 403 enabled the connection of the container terminal on the Zagreb pier in the port of Rijeka to the network of Croatian highways, the easier connection of the western part of the city and the Rijeka bypass, and increased traffic safety.
The official opening was attended by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković, Prefect of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Zlatko Komadina, Mayor of the City of Rijeka Marko Filipović, President of the Board of Hrvatske ceste d.o.o. Josip Škorić, Executive director of the Port of Rijeka Authority Denis Vukorepa and other numerous representatives of companies that contributed to the development of this important project.
The opening of the DC403 road presents the crown of a large road infrastructure project. Its total value is EUR 69 million, of which 85% is co-financed from European funds. State road DC403 from the junction Škurinje to the Port of Rijeka is the most expensive and one of the most demanding roads in the country. It is a three-kilometer long section of the state road, from the western part of the port of Rijeka to the Rijeka bypass, and the most expensive road in Croatia.  The construction costs reach 21.8 million euros per kilometer (including VAT).
The Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure ensured the contracting of European funds through a call for grants and enabled construction the of this demanding section. Despite the complex configuration of the terrain and the complexity of the work, the project was completed on time, and included the construction of the Podmurvice tunnel with a length of 1263 m, the Mlaka viaduct with a length of 144 m, the Piopi viaduct with a length of 316 m and three roundabouts. The project was implemented by Hrvatske ceste d.o.o.
State road DC403 will enable the connection of the Zagreb Deep Sea container terminal to the network of Croatian highways and the main trans-European transport network (TEN-T), which will significantly increase the competitiveness of the port of Rijeka, and thus the competitiveness and economic development of the entire Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and the city of Rijeka. The road connection from the port will provide a new approach to the city center and make life easier for citizens because it will reduce traffic jams and increase road traffic safety. Truck traffic will be directed through the tunnel and further to Ljubljana, Trieste and Zagreb. The aforementioned solution places Rijeka alongside modern European cities that increase traffic safety and reduce noise, congestion and traffic pollution, and at the same time have a positive effect on economic growth and development.

Source of photography: Novi list