Construction of the Temporary Toll Station Prepolje

The construction of the Slovenian motorway cross is undoubtedly the largest Slovenian construction project. Today, with the motorway cross completed, we can observe that road traffic safety has significantly improved, as the number of fatalities is decreasing despite a drastic increase in traffic volumes. The project documentation was prepared by the companies Lineal d.o.o., Biro za projektiranje Maribor d.o.o., Dolenjska projektiva d.o.o.

Problem

The construction of the Slovenian motorway cross is undoubtedly the largest Slovenian construction project. Today, with the motorway cross completed, we can observe that road traffic safety has significantly improved, as the number of fatalities is decreasing despite a drastic increase in traffic volumes. The value of the construction of the 19.8-kilometre-long section Slivnica – Draženci, of which the ** Toll Station Prepolje** is also a part, is estimated at €278 million, of which co-financing from the Cohesion Fund amounts to €88.3 million.

The construction investor was DARS – Družba za avtoceste Republike Slovenije, which is also responsible for regular maintenance.

Solution and Method

The project documentation was prepared by the companies Lineal d.o.o., Biro za projektiranje Maribor d.o.o., Dolenjska projektiva d.o.o. The contractor for the construction works was the company CPM d.d. The construction of the Toll Station Prepolje was carried out in accordance with all documentation.

Construction began in March 2009 and was completed in July 2009. The value of the construction of the Toll Station Prepolje amounts to €3.8 million. The objective was achieved.

Today, the toll station is exemplary, as it ensures smooth traffic flow for passenger vehicles. With two separate branches, it directs lorry traffic from the main route to the DARS cabins. Despite the principle of temporariness, in his opinion, this toll station will continue to operate in its original form in the Slovenian transport space for a long time.

The fundamental requirement for the construction of the toll station was: it must be built with quality and on time for the official opening on 15 July 2009. The author of the diploma thesis presented the course of construction of the Toll Station Prepolje, which is only a small part of this project, but is of essential importance for the toll collection system in the Republic of Slovenia. Given the current situation in the construction industry, he was fortunate to have ** participated in** such a ** large and important project** as the construction of the motorway section Slivnica – Draženci – Gruškovje during his practical training.

He participated in the construction project of the Temporary Toll Station Prepolje for more than 600 hours, which is why he decided to prepare his diploma thesis on this topic. For this vision to come to life, a great deal of discipline, organisation and experience was required, as it was necessary to carry out works according to the schedule. This is extremely important if we want to complete the works by the deadline set by the investor.

In their case, the deadline was 15 July 2009. He is pleased to say that, despite numerous difficulties, they managed to build the motorway within the set deadline. The author of the diploma thesis described the implementation of the toll station from concept to execution.

He did not encounter major difficulties in this, as he was present throughout the entire construction process during his practical training. In the introduction, he described the problem of the chosen topic. Subsequently, he described all the works that were carried out on this construction site, and without one of the listed items, this route would not have been executed according to the standards prescribed by legislation.

Thus, it would not have been possible to carry out the technical inspection, and all the work carried out on this construction site would have been pointless. He also presented the technical report in detail. During this task, he gained ** a great deal of knowledge and experience, which he is convinced will be useful to him in life. He hopes that, from a professional perspective, he has sufficiently clearly ** presented the construction system of the Temporary Toll Station Prepolje and also ** analysed the problem** of ** toll collection in the Republic of Slovenia**.

In order to present the toll collection system as clearly as possible, he also researched toll collection systems elsewhere in Europe for comparison. His objective was to present in detail the course of construction of the Temporary Toll Station Prepolje, from earthworks to all subsequent phases that brought the project to its objective. The fact is that the final product is a large body of knowledge, information and technology, and without a single phase it would be unusable.

Due to modern motor traffic, characterised by high speed and a large number of vehicles, the requirement for quality construction is all the higher. For work to proceed as smoothly and with maximum quality as possible, a great deal of cooperation, patience and mutual agreements are required. Quality assurance is not a one-off and final act, but a ** continuous process** that requires constant improvement of services, organisation, quality assurance, technology, measuring equipment, people's capabilities – in short, improvement of the business system.

Unfortunately, there is currently no company in Slovenia capable of carrying out such a large project, as they are all either in bankruptcy or on the verge of it. It is truly sad to see how much knowledge, equipment, machinery, mutual friendships and acquaintances have been lost to the abyss of recession. He sincerely hopes that this situation will improve in the future, as it is essential to revive the construction industry, which is a fundamental sector of every economy.

Otherwise, the country will lose all its professional personnel, as most construction workers will seek employment abroad. At that point, it will be even more difficult to revive other sectors of the economy. Through the diploma thesis, he achieved his objectives, as he broadened his horizons in this field.

All the knowledge he acquired during practical training and at lectures was condensed into his own work, of which he is proud.