Page "Transport in Croatia" Paragraph 54

A major reason for the motorway construction " mania " of the 2000s is a previous political halt of the major Croatian highway project, today's A1, in the 1970s and 1980s under former Yugoslavia.

When Croatia declared independence in 1991, the only true motorways in the country were Zagreb – Karlovac ( the northernmost part of A1 ) and Zagreb-Slavonski Brod ( A3 ), the latter being part of the highway " Bratstvo i jedinstvo ".

The dream to connect the two largest Croatian cities Zagreb and Split with a motorway ( autocesta ) went back to the times of the Croatian Spring.

However, the construction of this project had been blocked by the ruling Communist Party.

Recently, after so many years of waiting, the construction of this route has been realized, in addition to the extension of the A3 so it connects Zagreb to Croatian borders with both Serbia ( near Lipovac ) and Slovenia ( near Bregana ).

There is also a motorway from Zagreb to Rijeka, the A6, as well as the A4 motorway from Zagreb to the northeast ( Hungarian border ) as well as a motorway from Zagreb to the northwest ( Slovenian border ), the A2.

The A9 between Pula and the Slovenian border is also largely completed.