Six bids have been submitted for the 11.5-kilometre Slano–PUO Mravinjac section. Rudine–Slano is a separate nine-kilometre contract. Bid prices are neither an award decision nor the final total cost of the connection.
The motorway has advanced in the procurement process
Six bids were opened on 28 September for the Slano–PUO Mravinjac section of the planned A1 extension towards Dubrovnik. HRT and HINA, citing Hrvatske autoceste (HAC), reported prices ranging from about €241.4 million to €305 million excluding VAT. The section is 11.5 kilometres long.
This is concrete news about competition for a construction contract. It does not mean construction has begun, nor does it identify the eventual winner. The bids must now be examined and evaluated. The lowest number in a table is not automatically a legally awarded contract.
Two sections, two procedures
HAC is conducting separate tenders for Slano–PUO Mravinjac and Rudine–Slano. The official procurement register gives a length of nine kilometres for Rudine–Slano and 11.5 kilometres for Slano–Mravinjac. Combining the procedures can lead to incorrect bidder counts and costs.
Reporting on 28 September said bids for Rudine–Slano were due to be opened on 2 October. A later media report gave new bidder numbers and sums. Because no separately verified official opening record was available for our final check, we do not present that detailed ranking as a settled result. The confirmed scope of the tender remains unchanged.
Why the route is more than asphalt through karst
According to project data explained by HAC, the Slano–Mravinjac section includes the approximately 2,419-metre Crvena greda tunnel and the approximately 1,763-metre Debela ljut tunnel. It begins beyond the Slano junction and ends at the planned Mravinjac service area. No additional interchanges are planned on this part because of its terrain and location.
Tunnels and other engineering structures shape the effort, construction sequence and risks. Dividing the total amount by kilometres yields an average, but does not explain the technical content. Nor does it show what another route with fewer structures should cost.
The bid range is not the final cost envelope
The published figures are bid prices excluding VAT. They are not the same as total project costs. Depending on the scope, an infrastructure project can include further items such as design, supervision or land matters. The relevant documents determine which costs belong to which contract.
A fair comparison must use the same basis: the same section, scope of work and tax treatment. The highest bid does not by itself prove a cost explosion, and the lowest does not yet guarantee savings. The later, reasoned award decision will be decisive.
What still matters before work begins
HAC says examination and evaluation follow the bid opening. The actual start also depends on completion of the procurement procedure, necessary permits and resolved property issues. A headline such as “the motorway is coming” can easily hide those steps.
It is therefore useful to distinguish milestones: bids opened, contract awarded, contract signed, preconditions for construction fulfilled, work actually started and, later, road opened to traffic. Each stage answers a different question. The present status belongs to the bidding and procurement phase.
What travellers can do with this information today
For a journey to Dubrovnik, this procedure does not yet provide a new driveable shortcut. Plan with the existing road network and check current traffic conditions shortly before departure. A future tunnel on a project map cannot bypass today's congestion or road closure.
In the longer term, the extension is important for southern Dalmatia. That is precisely why its progress should be measured by reliable steps. A confirmed contract award or published construction schedule would be the next substantial update; an opening year guessed from bid prices would not.
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Źródła i data
Źródła potwierdzają fakty. Wskazówki planistyczne i rekomendacje są oceną redakcyjną Golden Beach.
- Six bids for the Slano–PUO Mravinjac subsectionHRT / HINA, citing HAC · 28 September 2026Bid opening, price range, tunnels and next procedural steps
- Official public procurement registerHrvatske autoceste · checked 4 October 2026Separate contracts 1-400-2026-981 and -982 and section lengths; older deadline not treated as current
- Slano–PUO Mravinjac procurement noticePublications Office of the European Union · checked 4 October 2026Subject of the tender
- ZA IZGRADNJU DIONICE SLANO–MRAVINJAC STIGLO ŠEST PONUDAJužni, citing HAC · 28 September 2026Cross-check of technical section details
