According to the Road Management Unit (ÚHP) of the Slovak Ministry of Finance, the variant that could bring the greatest social return is the one that plans to complete the D1 motorway section bordering Ukraine with a Dargov Pass crossing without a tunnel and a southern bypass of Michalovce. Based on their assessment, cost savings could be achieved if the motorway section from Michalovce to the state border is constructed in a half-width profile in the first phase. In its analysis, the ÚHP relied on the feasibility study published by the National Motorway Company (NDS).
The study examined ten route versions, all with four lanes throughout the corridor. None of the versions had benefits that exceeded their costs. The recommended version was defined with a tunnel-free Dargov route, a northern bypass, and an estimated cost of 1.4 billion euros, including VAT. More favorable D1 corridor route According to ÚHP, the study discovered a new, more favorable D1 corridor route that includes crossing the Dargov Pass without a tunnel and completing the motorway at the Vyšné Nemecké border crossing. This version promises to be more efficient compared to the original plans from almost ten years ago and the lines on the spatial planning maps. The Ministry of Finance's assessment suggests this version could bring the highest social return. The social return would be more likely if the costs of the route were optimized, the transportation model redesigned, and the benefits and costs analysis recalculated based on the current methodology.
According to ÚHP, the project's costs can be optimized by building the section from Michalovce to the state border in a half-width profile in the first phase. The study suggests that the half-width profile would be sufficient in the long term, potentially resulting in 72-193 million euros in cost savings, depending on the chosen version. Full profile construction may occur later if traffic growth justifies it. Additional relevant alternative ÚHP suggested that when determining the motorway route, an up-to-date analysis applying the latest methodology and an updated transport model should be considered. They propose that another relevant alternative should be examined as well, and options for cost optimization should be explored. According to the study, the D1 section from Bidovce to the Ukrainian state border is more than 70 kilometers long, with costs estimated between 1.4-1.8 billion euros, including VAT. The corridor is part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), and its construction is planned for the period between 2032 and 2040. The project's funding source is not yet known.
