Construction work on the southern ring road around Maribor has temporarily halted due to annual leave periods rather than high summer temperatures, according to officials. The project, which began in mid-October of last year, has paused for several days with workers absent from the site. According to the Infrastructure Directorate, work will resume in the final week of August. So far, on a 400-meter section of the road between the roundabout on Lackova Street (at the end of the western ring road) and the Unifit fitness center, they have completed embankments for main and connecting roads, erected overhead structures, built three bridges, relocated the Radvanjski stream, and upgraded water supply and sewage systems. The directorate stated that work on all objects included in the first phase of the first stage will continue throughout the remainder of this year with “undiminished intensity.” Activities will focus on noise barriers, overhead structures, water management arrangements, communal infrastructure, and other planned works. Construction is being carried out by GIC Construction in collaboration with companies IPI and Trgograd. A supplementary building permit was issued recently, but legal challenges remain unresolved. Officials noted that they have finally acquired all necessary land for the second phase of the first stage, which spans 800 meters from Unifit to the roundabout on Kardeljeva Street. To secure this land, they initiated expropriation proceedings against five landowners. A supplementary building permit for the second phase of the first stage was issued on May 14, 2026, but one party filed a lawsuit within the legally prescribed timeframe. As a result, the permit is not yet legally binding, preventing the start of work on the second phase. The entire first stage of the southern ring road, which is 1.2 kilometers long, must be completed within 900 days according to the contract, with traffic expected to begin in early 2028. The investment value under the contract amounts to 19.55 million euros, with the state contributing 17.55 million euros and the city of Maribor providing the remaining 2.4 million euros. However, the actual cost of construction is likely to exceed the budget, as the contract was signed two years ago. The first stage of the southern ring road will not significantly impact traffic in the city. Once completed, transit traffic from Lackova Street will indeed shift onto the new road, but it will later redirect back to Streliška Street via the junction with Kardeljeva Street. A more substantial effect on urban traffic is anticipated only with the completion of the second stage, which will connect the southern ring road to Tržaška Street near the fire station in Bohovci. The third stage, which will link the ring road to the Slivnica-Pesnica motorway, will be completed only after the 1.3-kilometer-long third stage is finished. The exact start date for work on the second stage remains unknown, as the government only approved the spatial plan for it in August of last year. Current estimates suggest that constructing the remaining 4.3 kilometers of the ring road will cost approximately 120 million euros. Meanwhile, Dravske Elektrarne Maribor have concluded a multi-year cycle of bridge repairs, indicating that extensive infrastructure maintenance efforts have reached their culmination after prolonged work. This highlights ongoing commitments to maintaining critical transportation links in the region. In another related development, the bid submitted by Pomgrad for the construction of the eastern Soboska ring road has been rejected. The implications of this decision are still unclear, but it raises questions about future plans for the project. The rejection could lead to further bidding processes or alternative strategies for advancing the infrastructure initiative.
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