The Istrian Y () is a highway network in the Croatian highway network & TEN-T network, maintained by BINA Istra (from 1995 through at least 2027). It consists of two sections arranged in a shape similar to the letter Y, located in Istria County:
The A8 is a long branch which starts at Matulji in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and finishes in Kanfanar interchange, at the crossing with the A9. The branch was initially built as a single carriageway limited-access road, but the part between Kanfanar and Pazin was projected as a dual carriageway, so all the objects on the road are already prepared for a conversion to a motorway.
The most prominent feature of this branch of Istrian Y is the long UÃÂka Tunnel, the third longest tunnel in Croatia. The tunnel was opened in 1981 and is the main road that connects the Istrian peninsula with Rijeka and the rest of Croatia (and the only road for vehicles over 5 tonnes). The tunnel is tolled within a closed toll collection system with the rest of the network.
The first part opened as full motorway, from Kanfanar to RogoviÃÂi, was opened for traffic in 2011. Then, sections between RogoviÃÂi - Cerovlje, Cerovlje - Lupoglav, and Lupoglav - Vranja, opened in consecutive years from 2020.
The A9 is a long branch which connects the Croatian-Slovenian border near SeÃÂovlje with the city of Pula and services the tourist industry on the western coast of Istria. Motorway was initially built as single carriageway limited-access road.
There are two prominent object on this branch of Istrian Y: the viaduct "Limska draga" and the bridge "Mirna".
The viaduct "Limska draga" was built between 1988 and 1991 and was the first part of the western branch of Istrian Y that was constructed. The bridge is 552 m long and the height of the highest pillon is 120 m.
The bridge "Mirna" was opened to traffic in 2005. The bridge represents the crossing over river Mirna and was the most complicated object on the western branch of the Istrian Y because of the swampy terrain around the river. The bridge is 1355 m long and the height of the bridge at the highest point is 40 m. Currently the bridge is being tolled at the price of 14 HRK for passenger cars.
The southern leg of A9 motorway, between Kanfanar and Pula was opened as motorway for traffic in 2010. The northern leg of the A9 motorway, 50 km from Umag to Kanfanar, was opened as motorway for traffic on 14 June 2011, eight months before the deadline.
The network is undergoing extensive upgrade & refurbishment works. The works are split into 2 primary phases, then into sub-phases and parts.
These phases were not confirmed until 2023. Works on these phases were started after the official breakthrough of the second UÃÂka Tunnel tube on the 18th September 2023. They are intended to be complete by late 2026.
The completion of both these phases will mean the entire network will be a dual carriageway profile.