H4 closure: agreement with Sdag to mitigate impact

"In anticipation of the start of infrastructure and road surface upgrades on the Slovenian H4 highway towards Gorizia, confirmed for August 18, we have approved this agreement. This agreement will allow free access to all those using the parking areas equipped to facilitate customs clearance. This will enhance the competitiveness of the Gorizia border crossing and the activities of SDAG Spa, an intermodal logistics platform spanning 650,000 square meters and offering a wide range of services for international trade and road and rail transport, primarily to and from Central and Eastern Europe." This was stated by Regional Councilor for Infrastructure and Territory Cristina Amirante regarding the resolution approved by the Regional Council on the agreement concerning the obligations and conditions to ensure the company's free access to parking areas, aimed at mitigating the impacts of the closure of the H4 highway in Slovenia for construction and easing traffic congestion. According to the work schedule, the construction site will last 100 days, and the highway should therefore reopen to traffic normally around the end of November 2025.

A second closure is currently scheduled for the end of July 2026, lasting 120 days. Due to the closure of the H4 motorway, light traffic will not be affected and will be able to continue on the expressway, while goods vehicles exceeding 3.5 tonnes (heavy goods vehicles) transiting towards the Vrtojba/Sant'Andrea border crossing will be directed to continue their journey on the Slovenian A1 motorway. This will result in a significant concentration of heavy vehicles at the Sezana/Fernetti border crossing (province of Trieste) and in the related interport infrastructure and customs offices, resulting in traffic congestion on alternative routes, and, at the same time, negative impacts on the local economy of Gorizia and, more generally, the affected regional territories.

"To compensate SDAG for the lost revenue, the Region will provide this service, and thanks also to the work done with the Customs Agency, facilitations will be possible in terms of staff availability and availability for customs clearance operations. This will make a location that will be little-traveled due to the closure of this motorway section for approximately three and a half months more attractive," Amirante explained. The councilor recalled that the critical situation caused by the closure of the Slovenian H4 highway for construction has been the subject of numerous initiatives by the Region, public bodies, and other authorities, including with the involvement of Italian and Slovenian ministerial institutions. These discussions have allowed, among other things, to reduce the period of closure for road infrastructure work from two years to seven months (in the years 2025 and 2026). The issue has also been brought to the attention of the technical committee of the North-East Logistics General States, where a representative of the Ministry of Transport is also present, and is the subject of a Discussion table with logistics operators in the Gorizia area. A comprehensive lump sum of €250,000 will cover the costs arising from the agreement.