Karawanke Tunnel: West Tube Undergoing Major Refurbishment Until Mid-2029 – Two-Way Traffic on the Balkan Route

On the A11 Karawanken motorway between Carinthia and Slovenia, travellers can expect single-lane oncoming traffic in the Karawanken Tunnel until mid-2029, at the earliest estimate. The reason is the general refurbishment of the existing tube (west tube), opened in 1991, which has been underway since April 2026, while all traffic is being routed through the newly built east tube.

At around 7.9 kilometres, the tunnel is one of the most important cross-border links between Austria and Slovenia, saving travellers between Villach and Ljubljana about an hour's driving time compared to the mountain pass road. Anyone regularly using this key Balkan route should still expect a speed limit and oncoming traffic instead of two separate lanes for a few more years.

Why oncoming traffic will remain until 2029

On 18 March 2026, the newly built tunnel tube officially went into operation after 7.5 years of construction. Immediately afterwards, ASFINAG began the general refurbishment of the old west tube: the roadway, drainage, lighting, ventilation, tunnel wall coating, and the entire safety technology (video cameras, fire alarm system, sensors) are being renewed. Until this work is expected to be completed by mid-2029, all traffic in both directions will share the new east tube: each direction of travel gets only one lane, with oncoming traffic and a reduced speed limit.

ASFINAG is budgeting around 123 million euros for the general refurbishment of the existing tube, while the complete construction of the second tube, including the new Rosenbach toll station, comes to a combined total of around 570 million euros, shared with the Slovenian motorway operator DARS. Once the refurbishment is complete, oncoming traffic will be permanently eliminated, and a consistent speed limit of 100 km/h will apply throughout the entire tunnel.

What this means for travellers

As long as the refurbishment is ongoing, a lower speed limit than normal applies in the tunnel, and overtaking is generally not possible. Anyone crossing the border between Austria and Slovenia on the A11 should therefore allow a bit more time than before the changeover in March 2026 – especially on weekends and during the travel season, when traffic on the Balkan route is generally heavier anyway.

Tolls in Austria

In Austria, the toll for vehicles up to 3.5 t gross vehicle weight (cars, motorcycles, small motorhomes) is collected via the vignette requirement, while heavier vehicles over 3.5 t pay the kilometre-based distance-related toll via GO-Box. For individual, particularly complex sections of road, an additional special toll applies – the Karawanken Tunnel is one of the best-known examples of this: for cars up to 3.5 t gross vehicle weight, a one-way trip currently costs around 9 euros, in addition to the vignette that is required anyway.

Anyone travelling not only through Austria but also through Slovenia and the other countries covered by the Europamaut flat rate doesn't need to worry about each country's vignette separately: with the Europamaut flat rate, you simply register the included vignettes for 8 countries yourself, for €12.80* per month.

* ASFINAG toll fee (10-day vignette): €12.80, full reimbursement of the toll fee by DMC, flat rate (per calendar month): €12.80, 0 days' notice period

The Europamaut team wishes you a pleasant journey!

You can find further details about the Austrian vignette and the border crossings to Slovenia in our guides on the Austria vignette, on tolls in Austria, and on the Austria–Slovenia border crossing.