Corridor Vc

E73 shield
E73
Route information
Length679 km (422 mi)
Major junctions
North endHungarian M0 motorway shield Budapest, Hungary
Major intersectionsHungarian M60 motorway shield Bóly
Croatian A3 motorway shield Sredanci interchange
South endCroatian D8 road shield Opuzen, Croatia
Location
Countries Hungary
 Croatia
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Highway system

European route E73 forms part of the United Nations International E-road network, connecting Hungary and eastern Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Adriatic Sea in the vicinity of the port of Ploče. This 679-kilometre (422 mi) route is also designated as the Pan-European Corridor Vc, a branch of the fifth Pan-European corridor. The route largely consists of two-lane roads with at-grade intersections, although in the 2000s, about a third of the route was upgraded to motorway standards. The remainder of the route is currently being upgraded in all the countries spanned. The longest part of this corridor goes through Bosnia and Herzegovina and is widely touted as a road instrumental to the development of the country. The road also serves as the shortest connection of the eastern and southern parts of Croatia.

Route description

See also: M6 motorway (Hungary), A5 (Croatia), A1 (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and A10 (Croatia)
A view of the motorway carriageway from a car, showing two traffic lanes and traffic signs indicating approach to an exit.
E73 as Hungarian M6 motorway, near Ráckeresztúr exit

The European route E73 is a part of the International E-road network, 679 km (422 mi) long, connecting parts of Hungary and Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Adriatic Sea coast near the port of Ploče. The route is a Class A intermediate north–south road, consisting of 275 km (171 mi) of motorways, and a substantial proportion of two-lane roads with at-grade intersections. The E73 starts at the Budapest ring motorway, providing connection to the Hungarian motorway network, as well as the European routes E60, E71 and E75, at an interchange with the M6 motorway taking the E73 route south, past Dunaújváros and Szekszárd towards Bóly, where the motorway (as of August 2011) terminates, and the E73 switches to routes 57 and then 56 past Mohács to Udvar/Duboševica border crossing where the route crosses to Croatia. The Hungarian section of the E73 is 196 kilometres (122 miles) long, and all but the last 20 kilometres (12 miles) has been upgraded to the motorway standards. The final section of the motorway to the Croatian border is planned to extend to a new border crossing at Ivándárda.[1][2]

The E73 route through Croatia starts at Duboševica border crossing, following the D7 state road to Beli Manastir and Osijek. South of Beli Manastir, there is a junction with the European route E662, signposted as the D212 state road. The D7 road carries the E73 through Osijek, to the southern city bypass, an expressway signposted as the D2 state road providing a connection to the A5 motorway to the west of Osijek. The A5 is scheduled for extension north to the Hungarian border, where it would link up with the Hungarian M6 motorway. The A5 extends south to the Sredanci interchange whee it meets the A3 motorway, which carries the E70. The A5 continues further south to the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Svilaj border crossing at the Sava River. First segment of the E73 through Croatia, between Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina, is 108 kilometres (67 miles) long, including 56 kilometres (35 miles) of motorways.[2][3][4]

A view of a road from a side, showing two traffic lanes of a single carriageway as the road enters a village. A traffic sign indicating name of the village is visible on the right.
E73 as Croatian D7 state road, in Kozarac, north of Osijek

The E73 route in Bosnia and Herzegovina starts at Svilaj border crossing, following the A1 motorway for 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) to Odžak. Near Odžak the E73 switches from the A1 motorway to a short road connector which carries the E73 to the M-14.1 road. The M-14.1 road carries the E73 to Vukosavlje, located to the north of Modriča where it meets the M-17 road. The M-17 road carries the E73 past Modriča, Doboj, Maglaj, Žepče and Zenica. In Zenica, the E73 switches back to the A1 motorway and forms a junction with European routes E661 and E761. The latter and the E73 are concurrent between Zenica and Sarajevo, where the E761 diverges towards Višegrad. The European route E762 also forms a junction with the E73 in Sarajevo, heading towards Nikšić, Montenegro. The A1 motorway carries the E71 near Zenica, Kakanj, Visoko, Ilijaš, Vogošća, Sarajevo and Tarčin. In Bradina, the E73 once more switches to the M-17 road which carries it past Konjic, Jablanica, Mostar and Čapljina. The route crosses back into Croatia south of Čapljina. Total length of the E73 route through Bosnia and Herzegovina is 366 kilometres (227 miles) long.[2][5]

The southernmost segment of the E73 route is located in Croatia, spanning 11 kilometres (6.8 miles) between Metković border crossing and Opuzen, where the route physically signposted as the D9 state road, connects to the D8 state road (European route E65). The D8 connects the E73 route to the port of Ploče to the north and Dubrovnik to the south. Furthermore, the section has a junction to the D62 state road providing a link to the A1 motorway and the Croatian motorway network in the south of the country. This section completes the total length of the E73 in Croatia of 119 kilometres (74 miles).[2][3][4]

Toll

E73 route as A1 at Visoko exit near Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Various sections of the E73 are tolled, using a range of toll collection systems. Motorways in Hungary are tolled using an electronic toll collection (ETC) system with charges differing for various categories of vehicles and length of period when the e-vignette is valid.[6] Croatian motorways are also generally tolled, using a ticket system. All sections of the A5 motorway are tolled, as well as the A3 section concurrent with the E73. As of August 2011, the toll charged along the Croatian section of the E73 route between various toll plazas at each motorway exit, varies depending on the length of route travelled and the vehicle classification in Croatia. The toll is payable in euros and by major credit and debit cards. A prepaid ETC system is also used.[7] State roads in Croatia are not tolled. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, only the A1 motorway is tolled at two mainline toll plazas and further toll plazas at each motorway exit between the mainline toll plazas using a ticket system.[8]

History

See also: International E-road network and Pan-European corridors
A view of four lane motorway with a central reservation, taken from a carriageway level. Back side of a gantry carrying variable traffic signs is visible on the left hand side carriageway.
E73 as A5 motorway in Croatia

UNECE was formed in 1947, and their first major act to improve transportation was a joint UN declaration no. 1264, the Declaration on the Construction of Main International Traffic Arteries,[9] signed in Geneva on September 16, 1950, which defined the first E-road network. This declaration was amended several times before November 15, 1975, when it was replaced by the European Agreement on Main International Traffic Arteries or "AGR", which set up a route numbering system and improved standards for roads in the list. The AGR went through several changes, with the last one, as of 2011, in 2008. Reorganization of the E-roads network of 1975 and 1983 redefined the E73 designation previously associated with Cologne–Hamm road and assigned it to Budapest–Osijek–Sarajevo–Metković route.[2][9][10]

E73 near Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The entire E73 route was given further importance in June 1997 at the Pan-European Transport Conference in Helsinki, when the section was made a part of the Pan-European Corridor Vc, spanning Budapest and Metković via Osijek and Sarajevo.[11] This event spurred modernization of the route in all the countries where it is located, and since 1997s, one third of the route, previously developed as a two-lane road only, was upgraded to the motorway standards, with plans to upgrade the remainder of the route as well.

A view of a two lane road taken from a car. The road approaches a sharp left bend and a town, with a steep hill on the right and a river on its left.
E73 as the M17 road at Počitelj near Mostar

The first Hungarian motorway section along the M6/E73 route was completed between Érd and Dunaújváros in 2006 after the Pan-European Corridor Vc was given development priority following the Helsinki conference. In 2008, the new motorway section was connected to the M0 Budapest ring motorway, and in 2010, the M6 was extended to Bóly. The final section of the motorway to the Croatian border is planned to extend to a new border crossing at Ivándárda, where the M6 shall connect to the Croatian motorway network.[1] In Croatia, the first motorway section completed along the E73 route was the Sredanci–Đakovo section of the A5, completed in 2007, which was extended further to Osijek in 2009.[12] As of August 2011, the A5 was scheduled to be extended north across Drava River to Beli Manastir and the Branjin Vrh border crossing to Hungary where it shall connect to the M6.[13] In 2015, a short section of the A5 between Sredanci and Svilaj interchanges was opened, followed by Svilaj border crossing and bridge across the Sava River in 2021.[14][15][16] Prior to the opening of the Svilaj Bridge, the E73 followed the A3 motorway between Sredanci and Velika Kopanica interchanges and the D7 road between Velika Kopanica and Slavonski Šamac, crossing the Sava River at the Šamac border crossing. The A10 motorway is planned to connect Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Croatian motorway system through the A1 motorway and the port of Ploče.[17][18] The segment of the route through Bosnia and Herzegovina is largely in various stages of planning and development, especially those sections adjacent to the single existing stretch of the A1 motorway near Sarajevo and to planned sections of the Croatian A5 and A10 motorways.[5][19][20]

In the early 2000s, the A1 motorway received much media attention in Bosnia and Herzegovina as it was to be the first motorway-standard road in the country. The slow pace of building resulted in the Corridor Vc being parodied as "Corridor WC" in the famous TV satire Nadreality Show.[21]

Concurrencies

Country km Route[2] Control
cities 		Connecting
routes 		Notes[1][3][4]
Hungary 0-176 Hungarian M6 motorway shield M6 Budapest
Bóly 		Hungarian M0 motorway shield M0
Hungarian M60 motorway shield M60 		The northern terminus of the E73 is in an interchange of the M6 and the M0 near Budapest. Northbound E73 traffic leaving the segment defaults onto the M0 Budapest ring motorway. The connecting M0 motorway section is concurrent with European routes E60, E71 and E75.
176-182 Hungarian route 57 shield 57 Bóly
Mohács 		Two-lane road with at-grade intersections.
182-194 Hungarian route 56 shield 56 Mohács
Udvar 		Two-lane road with at-grade intersections. The southernmost section of the E73 in Hungary.
Croatia 194-237 Croatian D7 road shield D7 Duboševica
Beli Manastir
Osijek 		Croatian D517 road shield D517
Croatian D212 road shield D212 		Two-lane road with at-grade intersections.
237-244 Croatian D2 road shield D2 Osijek Osijek bypass. A two-lane, limited access expressway with grade separated intersections.
244-302 Croatian A5 motorway shield A5 Osijek
Svilaj 		Croatian A3 motorway shield A3 The current northern terminus of the A5 motorway is the Osijek interchange where the northbound A5/E73 traffic defaults to the D2 road.
Bosnia and Herzegovina 302-317 Bosnia and Herzegovina A1 motorway shield A1 Donji Svilaj
Odžak 		Bosnia and Herzegovina M14-1 road shield M-14.1 The southern 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) are a two-lane road connector with at-grade intersections.
317-320 Bosnia and Herzegovina M14-1 road shield M-14.1 Odžak
Modriča 		Two-lane road with at-grade intersections.
320-442 Bosnia and Herzegovina M17 road shield M-17 Modriča
Zenica 		Bosnia and Herzegovina M4 road shield M-4
Bosnia and Herzegovina M15 road shield M-15 		Two-lane road with at-grade intersections.
442-531 Bosnia and Herzegovina A1 motorway shield A1 Zenica
Sarajevo
Tarčin 		Bosnia and Herzegovina M18 road shield M-18 A motorway, concurrent with E761 route between Zenica and Sarajevo.
531-668 Bosnia and Herzegovina M17 road shield M-17 Tarčin
Mostar
Čapljina
Doljani 		Bosnia and Herzegovina M16-2 road shield M-16.2
Bosnia and Herzegovina M6-1 road shield M-6.1
Bosnia and Herzegovina M6 road shield M-6 		Two-lane road with at-grade intersections.
Croatia 668-679 Croatian D9 road shield D9 Metković
Opuzen 		Croatian D62 road shield D62
Croatian D8 road shield D8 		Two-lane road with at-grade intersections.
Northbound E73 traffic leaving the segment crosses to Bosnia and Herzegovina at Metković border crossing. Southbound E73 traffic leaving the segment switches to the Croatian D8 state road (European route E65) in Opuzen. Even though the UNECE specification of the route notes Metković as the last control city of the E73, the entire D9 route to Opuzen is signposted as the E73.
The southernmost segment of the E73.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to E73.

References

  1. ^ a b c "ROAD NETWORK". Állami Autópálya Kezelő Zrt. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "EUROPEAN AGREMENT [sic] ON MAIN INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC ARTERIES (AGR)" (PDF) (PDF). United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. March 28, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c "Regulation on motorway markings, chainage, interchange/exit/rest area numbers and names" (in Croatian). Narodne novine. April 24, 2003. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c "Decision on categorization of public roads". Narodne novine (in Croatian). February 15, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Autocesta" [Motorway] (in Bosnian). JP Autoceste FBiH. Archived from the original on August 17, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  6. ^ "E-VIGNETTE / TOLL PAYMENT". Állami Autópálya Kezelő Zrt. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  7. ^ "Zagreb - Lipovac - Osijek pricelist". Hrvatske autoceste. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  8. ^ "Naplatna mjesta" [Toll plazas] (in Bosnian). JP Autoceste FBiH. Archived from the original on February 24, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  9. ^ a b "Declaration on the Construction of Main International Traffic Arteries, signed at Geneva" (PDF). United Nations. September 16, 1950. Retrieved August 10, 2011.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ "European Agreement on main international traffic arteries (AGR) (with annexes and list of roads). Concluded at Geneva on 15 November 1975" (PDF). United Nations. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  11. ^ Tanja Poletan Jugović (April 11, 2006). "The integration of the Republic of Croatia into the Pan-European transport corridor network". Pomorstvo. University of Rijeka, Faculty of Maritime Studies. 20 (1): 49–65. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  12. ^ "U petak otvaranje dionice Đakovo-Sredanci" [Đakovo-Sredanci section opens on Friday]. Poslovni dnevnik (in Croatian). November 7, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  13. ^ "Položen temeljni kamen za most "Drava"" [Drava Bridge cornerstone laid] (in Croatian). Government of Croatia. July 11, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ "Autocesta A5, Beli Manastir - Osijek - Svilaj" [A5 Motorway, Beli Manastir - Osijek - Svilaj] (PDF). HUKA Bilten (PDF) (in Croatian). Croatian Association of Motorway Concessionaires (12): 1–2. November 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  15. ^ Vladimir Janković (March 18, 2010). "Vlada gradi novi most: 300 mil. kuna za most na Savi kod Svilaja" [Government building a new bridge: 300 million Kuna for the Sava Bridge near Svilaj] (in Croatian). Jutarnji list. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  16. ^ "Most Svilaj povezuje Hrvatsku i BiH. Stvaramo preduvjete za bolju gospodarsku suradnju i veća ulaganja" [The Svilaj Bridge connects Croatia and BiH. We are creating the preconditions for better economic cooperation and greater investment]. Vlada Republike Hrvatske (in Croatian). September 30, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  17. ^ "Vlada: Ugovor o jamstvu i financiranju s EIB-om za dovršetak autoceste na koridoru Vc" [Government: Guarantee and funding contract with the EIB to complete the Corridor Vc motorway] (in Croatian). Ministry of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure (Croatia). April 28, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  18. ^ "Koridor Vc" [Corridor Vc] (PDF) (PDF) (in Croatian). Ministry of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure (Croatia). Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  19. ^ "BiH i Hrvatska zajedno grade most na Savi" [Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia jointly build the Sava Bridge] (in Bosnian). Radio Sarajevo. March 19, 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-10-07. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  20. ^ "BiH treba da ubrza izgradnju graničnog prijelaza "Bijača"" [Bosnia and Herzegovina should speed up construction of the Bijača border crossing] (in Bosnian). Dnevni avaz. July 5, 2011. Archived from the original on August 8, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  21. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Autoput WC 5". YouTube.

External links