by InTrieste
The Fernetti border crossing between Italy and Slovenia is bracing for a surge in truck traffic starting next Monday, as heavy goods vehicles will be diverted there due to the closure of Slovenia’s H4 expressway. The H4, which links the twin cities of Gorizia and Nova Gorica with Slovenia’s main A1 motorway, will remain closed for maintenance until the end of November.
Authorities estimate that up to 4,000 additional trucks per day could pass through Fernetti during the closure, raising concerns about congestion on both sides of the border.
The issue was the focus of a meeting at the Trieste prefecture, followed by an on-site inspection involving regional and local officials, transport authorities, and law enforcement. Regional Infrastructure Councillor Cristina Amirante announced that Friuli Venezia Giulia would move forward with immediate roadworks at Fernetti to open a second inbound lane to the customs area — a long-discussed measure previously stalled by overlapping jurisdiction among various agencies.
The regional government has pledged €800,000 to resurface the customs yard and improve the access road to the Fernetti Interporto, a logistics hub. Under the plan, light vehicles will enter via the Interporto and use an internal link road, while heavy trucks will be redirected along the older road running past the border police barracks. Officials hope the separation will help reduce queues forming on the Slovenian approach.
However, traffic management on the Slovenian side remains unresolved. Ljubljana has so far declined proposals to implement a similar dual-lane system on its territory, leaving uncertainty over how smoothly the diverted traffic will flow across the border in the coming months.
