The A1 motorway (, sr-Cyrl, Аутопут A1, Autoput A1) is a

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

that is part of the

European route E73 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 route is also designated as the ...

and, together with Croatian motorways A10 and A5, and the Hungarian M6, will provide a modern and fast road connection from

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

Ploče Ploče (, ) is a town and seaport in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. Geography Ploče is located on the Adriatic coast in Dalmatia just north of the Neretva Delta and is the natural seaside endpoint of most north-south routes through th ...

, a seaport on the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

. The motorway will connect the capital

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

with other large cities, such as

Mostar Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...

and

Zenica Zenica ( ; ) is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and an administrative and economic center of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Zenica-Doboj Canton. It is located in the Bosna (river), Bosna river valley, about north of Sarajevo. The ...

. It will also be the main link to Bosnia and Herzegovina from the

and

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

Sections

* Section 1: Sava - Doboj **64 km * Section 2: Doboj - Sarajevo south (

Tarčin Tarčin is a village in the municipality of Hadžići, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located around 30 km west of Sarajevo in the Sarajevo Canton within the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. European route E73, a European highway betwee ...

) **150 km * Section 3: Sarajevo south (Tarčin) - Mostar (north) **58 km * Section 4: Mostar (north) - Croatian border **68 km ***Total: ''340 km'' On 20 June 2013, the 5 km section between

Bijača Bijača (Serbian Cyrillic: Бијача) is a village in Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 1991 census, the village is located in the municipality of Ljubuški Ljubuški is a city in the West Herzegovina Canton, a federal unit of the F ...

and Kravica was opened. A new border crossing with Croatia opened on June 28.Chairman of BiH Council of Ministers opens today border crossing Bijača
- ''SarajevoTimes'', 28 June 2013 The motorway passes near the following cities:

Significance

The A1 motorway is the most important road project in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its construction is expected to enhance economic and social activities, and will connect Bosnia and Herzegovina with the major European traffic network.

Exit list

{, class="wikitable" , - !scope="col", Entity !scope="col", km !scope="col", Exit !scope="col", Name !scope="col", Destination !scope="col", Notes , - , rowspan="5" , FBiH , 0.0 , , Svilaj border crossing , , Svilaj border crossing to

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. The road continues into

as the A5 motorway towards

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

.
The northern terminus of the motorway , - , 1.6 , align=center , 1 , Svilaj , , Connection to Brod (to the west) , - , 3.0 , , colspan=3 , Svilaj toll plaza , - , 6.9 , align=center , , colspan=3 , Vrbovački Lipik rest area , - , 10.5 , align=center , 2 , Odžak , , Connection to

Odžak Odžak ( sr-cyrl, Оџак) is a town and municipality located in Posavina Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, near the river Sa ...

, - , colspan ="6" bgcolor=#C0C0C0 ,

Modriča Modriča ( sr-cyrl, Модрича) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013 census, the town has a population of 10,137 inhabitants, while the municipality has a population of 25,720 inhabitants. Hist ...

Modriča - Johovac , - , rowspan="2" , RS , 46.4 , align=center , 5 , Johovac , Motorway Banja Luka - Doboj , Connection to Johovac and

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...

of January 9th , - , 53.1 , align=center , 6 , Kostajnica , , Connection to

Doboj Doboj ( sr-Cyrl, Добој, ) is a city in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of the Bosna (river), Bosna river, in the northern region of Republika Srpska. As of 2013, it has a population of 71,441 inhabita ...

, - , colspan ="6" bgcolor=#C0C0C0 ,

, - , rowspan="18" , FBiH , 114.2 , align=center , 12 , Zenica North , , Connection to

, - , 130.3 , align=center , 13 , Zenica South , , Connection to

, - , 136.2 , align=center , 14 , Lašva , , Connection to

Travnik Travnik ( cyrl, Травник) is a town and a municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the administrative center of the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, ...

and

Vitez Vitez ( sr-cyrl, Витез) is a town and municipality located in the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 2013 census, the town has a population of 6,329 inhab ...

(to the west) , - , 144.6 , align=center , 15 , Kakanj , , Connection to

Kakanj Kakanj ( sr-cyrl, Какањ) is a town and municipality located in Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the Europe's oldest continuously inhabitted settlement. As of 2013, ...

, - , bgcolor=#fcdcdc , 146.7 , bgcolor=#fcdcdc , , bgcolor=#fcdcdc , Kameni Dvorac rest area , bgcolor=#fcdcdc , , bgcolor=#fcdcdc , Accessible to northbound traffic only , - , bgcolor=#fcdcdc , 147.9 , bgcolor=#fcdcdc , , bgcolor=#fcdcdc , TE Kakanj , bgcolor=#fcdcdc , , bgcolor=#fcdcdc , Connection to Kakanj Power Station (accessible to southbound traffic only) , - , 161.4 , align=center , 16 , Visoko , , Connection to

Visoko Visoko ( sr-cyrl, Високо, ) is a city located in the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the municipality had a population of 39,938 inhabitants with 11,205 livi ...

and

Kiseljak Kiseljak ( sr-cyrl, Кисељак) is a town and municipality located in Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies in the valley of the Fojnica River, the Lepenica and the ...

, - , bgcolor=#fcdcdc , 163.5 , bgcolor=#fcdcdc , , bgcolor=#fcdcdc , Visoko rest area , bgcolor=#fcdcdc , , bgcolor=#fcdcdc , Accessible to southbound traffic only , - , 168.6 , align=center , 17 , Podlugovi , , Connection to

Ilijaš Ilijaš is a town and municipality located in Sarajevo Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located northwest of the inner city of Sarajevo, making it ''de facto'' a town and suburb of Sara ...

, - , 179.7 , , colspan=3 , Sarajevo North toll plaza , - , 180.3 , align=center , 18 , Sarajevo North , , Connection to

Vogošća Vogošća (Cyrillic: Bогошћа) is a town and a municipality located in Sarajevo Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The municipality is located about 6 kilometers north of the city of Saraj ...

, - , 185.1 , align=center , 19 , Butila , , Connection to

via BC1 expressway , - , 189.1 , align=center , 20 , Sarajevo West , , Connection to

Hadžići Hadžići is a town and municipality located in Sarajevo Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located south west of the city of Sarajevo. According to the 2013 population census in Bosni ...

(to the south) , - , 193 , , colspan=3 , Sarajevo West toll plaza , - , 198.5 , align=center , 21 , Lepenica , , Connection to

(to the north) , - , 201.2 , align=center , , colspan=3 , Lepenica rest area , - , 208 , align=center , 22 , Tarčin , , Connection to

, - , 215.4 , align=center , 23 , Bradina , , Connection to Bradina , - , colspan ="6" bgcolor=#C0C0C0 , Bradina -

Čapljina Čapljina ( cyrl, Чапљина, ) is a city located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located on the border with Croatia a mere from the Adriatic Sea. The rive ...

, - , rowspan="8" , FBiH , 318.2 , align=center , 30 , Čapljina , , Connection to

Počitelj Počitelj is a settlement and a historic village in the Township of Čapljina in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its walled nucleus is protected National Monument of B ...

and

(to the south) , - , 319.7 , align=center , 31 , Počitelj , , Planned connection to Adriatic–Ionian motorway , - , 321.4 , colspan="4" style="text-align:center;", Hercegovina Bridge , - , 328.8 , align=center , 32 , Međugorje , , Connection to

Međugorje Medjugorje (, ) is a village in the municipality of Čitluk in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 1981, it has become a popular site of Catholic pilgrimage due to Our ...

(to the north) , - , 334.9 , align=center , , colspan=3 , Kravica rest area , - , 336.5 , , colspan=3 , Zvirići toll plaza , - , 337.5 , align=center , 33 , Zvirići , , Connection to

Ljubuški Ljubuški is a city in the West Herzegovina Canton, a federal unit of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Kravica (waterfall), Kravica cascades lie within the city, near the settlement of Studenci, ...

(to the north) , - , 340 , align=center , ,

border crossing , , Bijača border crossing to

. The road continues into

as the A10 motorway
The southern terminus of the motorway.

Environmental concerns and criticism

Since the beginning proposed route for the A1 highway on corridor Vc was under heavy criticism from environmentalists, groups and concerned citizens, as well as some factions in academic community and media, for its encroachment on many already highly endangered natural phenomena, habitats and to significant extent on specific way of human life in traditional communities in relationship with characteristic Dinaric

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

milieu and its characteristic

biotope A biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of flora (plants), plants and fauna (animals), animals. ''Biotope'' is almost synonymous with the term habitat (ecology), "habitat", which ...

hydrogeology Hydrogeology (''hydro-'' meaning water, and ''-geology'' meaning the study of the Earth) is the area of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater in the soil and rock (geology), rocks of the Earth's crust (ge ...

and

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

. This is especially emphasized in region of Herzegovina where most of Bosnia and Herzegovina's karstic topography and biodiversity is distributed. Several particular sections are of most concern: section in vicinity of Počitelj, section passing through Blagaj, and section through massif of Prenj. For that reason another variant of the route is proposed for every of three particular problematic sections.

References

{{Reflist Highways in Bosnia and Herzegovina