TRIESTE – A €1.1 million project has been completed at Fernetti to reorganize border traffic and manage the impact of the closure of Slovenia’s H4 expressway.
The Friuli Venezia Giulia Region financed and carried out the redevelopment of the square, with new signage and dedicated spaces to separate heavy and light vehicle traffic and to improve the safety of border checks. According to Regional Councillor Cristina Amirante, the site, opened on September 1 and completed in less than a month, was made possible thanks to coordination between the Region, Autostrade Alto Adriatico, State Police and the contractor. She explained that the intervention has helped make cross-border traffic pressure more manageable, although the economic impact on transport and logistics companies remains severe. To support operators, the Region confirmed free parking and customs stopovers at the Sdag facility in Gorizia.
In the meantime, Autostrade Alto Adriatico presented data to the Prefecture from the start of the emergency. Between August 18 and September 7, heavy vehicles heading into Italy through the Trieste/Lisert toll station rose by 54% compared to the same period in 2024, with about 18,000 more trucks per week. Over the same period, heavy traffic entering Italy from Slovenia via Gorizia collapsed by 54%.
Since September 8, with the reopening of the H4 to trucks over 3.5 tons heading into Italy and the simultaneous closure in the Slovenia-bound direction, traffic flows have rebalanced: +24% of heavy vehicles at Lisert toward Venice, -21% at Gorizia, +27% outbound at Lisert, while exports through Gorizia recorded a 41% drop. Long queues, which in August exceeded seven kilometers, have now practically disappeared.
To manage the emergency, the concessionaire adopted extraordinary measures: suspension of construction sites on the A4 during the summer, reinforcement of staff up to 300 operators, extraordinary resurfacing at the Fernetti crossing, opening of new dedicated Telepass lanes at Lisert, and extended use of variable message signage. Autostrade Alto Adriatico highlighted the close cooperation with the Region, Prefecture, law enforcement and local authorities, and maintains constant contact with Slovenian concessionaire Dars to monitor the situation and evaluate further measures.
