DARS - NOVO MESTO EASTERN BYPASS

The project will finance the construction of a 9.8 km dual carriageway expressway and eastern bypass of the city of Novo Mesto, in southern Slovenia, from the junction with the A2 motorway in the north to Poganci in the south.

The aim is to alleviate traffic congestion in the city centre, thereby improve urban mobility, road safety and air quality in Novo Mesto. It will also foster further economic development in and around Novo Mesto and the connection with Croatia.

The contribution of the Project to EU policy is expected to be high as it will improve both urban and regional connectivity. The Project is part of the Slovenian Operational Programme of the EU Cohesion Policy, 2014- 2020 and 2021-2027 (under the priority axis no. 2.7, Infrastructure Development and Promotion of Sustainable Mobility). The Project completes the city's Eastern bypass, is part of the TEN-T comprehensive network and connects to the TEN-T core corridor Ljubljana-Zagreb.

The Project will improve territorial cohesion and intermodal connectivity, thereby contributing to modal rebalancing and congestion relief in Novo Mesto, and is well-integrated into the city's sustainable urban mobility plan. 

The Bank has an extensive experience with DARS, the Borrower and Promoter, having financed eleven projects with DARS over the last 30 years.

In terms of EIB contribution to the Project, firstly JASPERS provided technical advice for Project preparation at various levels, including the review of feasibility studies, environment impact assessment and appropriate assessment and other supporting information. Furthermore, discussions with the Bank's services during pre-appraisal resulted in an improvement of the quality of Project design and a better integration of the Project into the urban mobility strategy of Novo Mesto.

In financial terms, the EIB offering a non State-guarantee loan (as opposed to commercial lenders) may provide significant benefit to DARS.

The project, which is well-integrated into the city's sustainable urban mobility plan, is included in the Transport Development Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia, for which a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has been carried out. The Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning issued the SEA Decision No. 35409-24/2012/74, dated 21 July 2015.

The operation is considered a public sector operation, and the works will be tendered under open procedure.