HAK reports increased traffic on all major routes toward the coast, Index readers report journeys exceeding 13 hours and multi-hour waits at border crossings.
Traffic was exceptionally heavy on Saturday on all key routes toward the Adriatic, leading to long queues and congestion on highways, especially on the A1, the Croatian Automobile Club (HAK) reported. According to field information gathered by Index.hr, drivers faced multi-hour waits on the way to the coast and at border crossings, with some readers sharing dramatic travel experiences.
"We left before 4 a.m. from Požega for Vir. We've already been on the road for 13 hours. Since 5:30 a.m., when we were in Zagreb, we've only managed to get to just before Sveti Rok. This is a disaster! Zagreb to Sveti Rok took 11 hours!" wrote one reader for Index.hr, illustrating the scale of the congestion on the stretch from the capital to the Sveti Rok tunnel.
Due to increased traffic density, tunnels on the A1 highway were periodically closed for safety reasons to prevent vehicles from stopping inside them. The Brezik tunnel in the direction of Dubrovnik was intermittently closed, with a queue forming about 3 kilometers long in front of it. A similar situation occurred at the Sveti Rok tunnel, where the queue reached about 1 kilometer.
Additional difficulties were caused by traffic accidents. Multiple collisions occurred on the section between the Gospić and Gornja Ploča interchanges, and at kilometer 203 in the direction of Dubrovnik, traffic was moving in one lane with a queue of about 4 kilometers. An accident involving an overturned camper van was also reported on the A1, which fortunately resulted in no injuries but added to the congestion.
Congestion also affected other major routes. On the A3 Bregana-Lipovac, toward the Bajakovo border crossing, a queue of passenger and freight vehicles at one point stretched about 10 kilometers. On the A7 Rupa-Rijeka-Šmrika, drivers moved in slow-moving convoys with occasional stops, and those heading to Crikvenica or Novi Vinodolski were advised to exit at the Hreljin or Križišće interchanges.
On the Istrian Y (A8/A9), traffic slowed in work zones between the interchange and the Učka tunnel and near the Mirna bridge. State road DC1 on the Karlovac-Knin-Split section saw delays in work zones near Korenica and Otrić, and on the island of Krk, a queue stretched from the Šmrika roundabout toward the island.
The peak of the tourist season also brought kilometer-long queues at border crossings. "GP Jasenovac. We've been waiting since 11 a.m. and still haven't crossed the border. It's now 6:35 p.m., and we still have about half an hour to wait. This is a disgrace," complained another Index reader.
HAK reminded drivers that with increased traffic density, extraordinary events are more frequent and urged all road users to exercise extra caution, adapt their speed and driving style to road conditions, and maintain a safe following distance. By evening, according to the latest information from Index.hr, there were no longer any long waits on the highways, but queues at border crossings, such as Bajakovo where the line was about 5 kilometers long, persisted.
