Europe's Strategic Line Enters Service

The Karavanke Tunnel, connecting the Mediterranean, the Balkans and Central Europe, has been completed and opened to vehicle traffic. The project implemented by Cengiz İnşaat marks the first infrastructure investment in Slovenia carried out independently by a Turkish contracting firm.

Critical transit point for European trade
Located in the Alps and forming an important part of Europe's north-south trade corridor, the Karavanke Tunnel provides strategic connectivity between Slovenia and Austria. The tunnel has a total length of 7,946 metres, with the 3,446-metre Slovenian section constructed by Cengiz İnşaat.

Despite challenging ground conditions and climatic circumstances, the project was completed using advanced engineering techniques and was commissioned after approximately 6 years of work.

EU-backed major project
Financed by the European Union with a project investment value of approximately EUR 140 million, a total of 300 people were employed, of which 255 were Turkish.

Under the project scope:

-Tunnel connecting roads
-A 165.2-metre-long cable-stayed bridge
-Portal building managing ventilation, lighting and electromechanical systems
-A 1,000-square-metre, three-storey administrative building

and other important infrastructure elements were realised.

"We completed it on time despite difficult conditions"
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Asım Cengiz highlighted the project's importance and the challenges faced:

"We became the first Turkish company to carry out infrastructure projects in Slovenia by winning two separate tenders held in the country. On the project located in the Hruška region in the Alps, we worked with special precautions for four months of the year due to the cold climate. Despite challenges such as groundwater and methane gas, we completed the project on time and with high quality, handing it over to the Slovenian Government. This tunnel, as an important transit point directly affecting transportation in 8 countries, will make significant contributions to trade and tourism."

20-month gap closed
Although work on the Austrian side of the tunnel began 20 months earlier than on the Slovenian side, Cengiz İnşaat closed this gap and completed the project within the planned timeframe despite difficult conditions.

6-year engineering achievement
Cengiz İnşaat won tenders held in 2018 and 2019, and took over the project on 2 March 2020. Excavation works starting on 18 August 2020 reached an important milestone with the "breakthrough" ceremony held on 18 March 2024.

The Karavanke Tunnel was completed and officially opened on 18 March 2026.