Prime Minister Golob: We are not talking about the projects we will start, but about the results and work of the government

Prime Minister Golob said in his ceremonial address that a test train drove from Divača to Koper yesterday, with which Slovenians marked the long-awaited construction of the railway line of the second track, and he expressed his joy at the fact that, a day later, we are marking the completion of another important infrastructure project. "The one person that connects both projects is the Minister of Infrastructure, Alenka Bratušek. The minister, who envisioned the second track two terms ago, not only set the timeline and the project, but also put her name on the project and accomplished it on time and within the set budget," said the Prime Minister as he paid tribute to the minister in his introductory remarks.

"Today I am glad that I am not hearing just about the fact that we have pledged record investments during this term, even though we have – there has never been so much investment before. I am glad because I know that this money is invested in the right way, that it will yield results, and that, today, we are only witnessing the first of many results on the third development axis; other results will follow," the Prime Minister said about the investments in infrastructure during this term. 

Prime Minister Golob then emphasised the importance of the ceremony marking the official handover of the first junction of the northern part of the third development axis (Konovo) to traffic. "Velenje and Slovenj Gradec will finally be connected in a manner befitting these times, and Koroška will be closer to Slovenia as a result, and not just a little, but significantly closer to Slovenia," the Prime Minister said clearly. 

The Prime Minister also spoke about the vision for the future. "Today, I have enough optimism to believe that, by the end of the next term, we will not only meet again with the minister who will open both the second tube in the Primorska region and the connection from Velenje to Slovenj Gradec, but that we can most likely expect that the people of Koroška and the Šalek valley will be able to drive along the entire section both to Celje and the motorway," he said. 

Prime Minister Golob particularly emphasised the results of projects related to infrastructure and other areas. "The work is not yet completed, but it is ongoing, and this is a reason to be optimistic. Because we are no longer talking about projects that have not yet been initiated, but rather projects that are already underway and yielding results. And not just in the field of infrastructure. Quite the opposite: we are doing the same thing on all projects," concluded Prime Minister Robert Golob.

Minister of Infrastructure, Alenka Bratušek, said: "The fact that, today, we are handing over the first junction of the northern part of the third development axis (Konovo) to traffic is certainly the clearest indicator of construction progress. The third development axis represents part of the record investments in transport infrastructure, which, during the mandate of this government, amount to a record 7 billion euros. On the section between Velenje and Slovenj Gradec, work has already been completed on the Gaberke and Jenina junctions; it is actively underway on the Velunja, Škale and Podgorje junctions, and the construction contract for junction A – Velenje will be signed today." 

Andrej Ribič, President of the MCRS Management Board, said in his address that today's event is a milestone in the construction of the expressway towards Koroška. He also emphasised that MCRS is committed to the further development of modern infrastructure.

The ceremony commemorated an important infrastructure project that will enhance the traffic connectivity in the area. With the completion of work on the Škalsko jezero and Konovo junctions, a new connecting road with the Konovo tunnel will be opened to traffic. The single-tube Konovo tunnel, which is 497 metres long, is the central structure of the connecting road, which is 1.8 kilometres long and establishes a direct connection with the new expressway between Velenje and Slovenj Gradec. The opening of the newly built connecting road with the Konovo tunnel will also reduce traffic on individual municipal roads that have so far been used as transport routes for the needs of the construction of the third development axis. 

The third development axis is a project of national importance that will enhance the traffic connectivity of northern Slovenia, since it will enable faster and safer connections between Koroška, the Šalek Valley and central Slovenia, which will in turn create new development opportunities in the region. On the section between Velenje and Slovenj Gradec, work has already been completed on the Škalsko jezero, Konovo, Gaberke and Jenina junctions; it is actively underway on the Velunja, Škale and Podgorje junctions. Construction work on junction A – Velenje is scheduled to begin next month. The procedure for obtaining a building permit is underway for the section between Šentrupert and Velenje. Due to a simpler terrain configuration, construction is expected to be less demanding there. 

Last July, the Prime Minister attended the ceremony marking the beginning of construction work on the Velunja section in the northern part of the third development axis, where he emphasised the importance of completing the third development axis project. "We will complete it so that life in both regions will be safer, so that people can get to the doctor faster, children to school faster, so that the economy can develop at full speed, so that logistics will no longer be a problem and so that new, quality jobs, including those with foreign capital, will be even more accessible here. I believe that this will give momentum to both regions. Not only will the residents be closer to the capital, but they will also be closer to the world," he said.