It is one of the longest motorway sections that Národná diaľničná spoločnosť, a.s. (National Motorway Company, hereafter referred to as “NDS”) has recently put into operation. “This 15 km motorway stretch between Hubová and Ivachnová is of key importance as it is the penultimate motorway section between Bratislava and Košice that the drivers have been eagerly waiting for. It will save those travelling from one part of Slovakia to the opposite quite a lot of time during rush hour,” noted Jozef Ráž, the Minister of Transport.
Drivers will certainly welcome the fact that they will be able to use the Ružomberok bypass without having to purchase a motorway vignette.
The section connects to the Liptov motorway at Ivachnová. Over the past two years, this is the second important section of the D1 motorway that will relieve another large town in the Žilina region from transit traffic. “The north of Slovakia urgently needs additional motorway junctions to solve the traffic problems of the region. We opened the Višňové tunnel just before Christmas last year, and it has delivered amazing results in reducing traffic in Žilina. Today, we are bringing the same solution also to Ružomberok,” said Igor Choma, State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport.
The new section of the D1 motorway in the Liptov region will not only relieve Ružomberok of transit traffic, but will also significantly reduce travel times for drivers travelling from the west to the east of Slovakia, or vice versa. According to analyses, drivers could save up to 16 minutes, and much more during peak hours.
“This long-awaited motorway section not only brings relief to the residents of Ružomberok and safer, smoother traffic flow for transit traffic, but it also represents an important piece in the mosaic of European transport links and European solidarity. Because essential part of this motorway section is apart from the concrete and tarmac also the European funding, without which it could not have been built. The bypass of Ružomberok received nearly 70 million euros from the European Union funds, which Slovakia receives thanks to its EU membership. This is another concrete and tangible example of how the European Union plays a key role in our everyday lives – it is not just about decisions made in Brussels, but also about building the roads we drive on every day,” said Peter Stano, Head of the European Commission Representation in Slovakia.
The D1 motorway section with the Čebrať Tunnel was quite a challenging project to construct. “Complex geological conditions made things difficult for us, particularly near Likavka, where we were hampered by landslide-prone terrain. However, the safety of motorists and the technical integrity of the bridge were key factors for us. As with our other construction projects, these areas will also be continuously monitored,” said Filip Macháček, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General at the National Motorway Company.
The entire D1 motorway section between Hubová and Ivachnová was put into operation on October 5, 2026. It comprises 15 new kilometres of motorway with the 3.6km long Čebrať tunnel and three junctions. The motorway section will be maintained by the Motorway Management and Maintenance Centre in Liptovský Mikuláš.
