Italy–Slovenia freight hit by 7-month road closure

Transit traffic will be diverted to the Italian border crossing at Fernetti, increasing road transport volumes in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. The first stage of the closure will last 100 days in 2025, followed by another 120-day closure in 2026. In total, this will mean seven months of serious disruption for hauliers on one of the key routes linking Ljubljana with Gorizia, as well as the Italian Adriatic coast with Venice.

Discounts on the A4 and free parking

To ease the impact on the transport sector and local logistics, the regional authorities have introduced a EUR500,000 support package.

The plan includes:

• reduced tolls for lorries on the A4 motorway section between Lisert and Villesse,
• free parking for heavy goods vehicles at the SDAG interport in Gorizia (on the Italy-Slovenia border) for the entire duration of the works on the H4.

Preparations for increased traffic at Fernetti

In anticipation of higher lorry volumes on Italy's eastern border, a coordination meeting was held at the Prefecture in Trieste with representatives of the region, motorway operator Anas, customs and public security services.

Agreed measures include:

• widening the access road to the Fernetti border crossing to two lanes,
• increasing the number of customs officers to speed up checks and reduce waiting times at the border.

The support package has three main objectives:

1. Protect transport companies from financial losses caused by detours and longer journey times.
2. Maintain full operational capacity at the Gorizia interport without additional costs for hauliers.
3. Distribute lorry traffic across different border points in the region to prevent Fernetti from becoming overloaded.