The D8 state road is the Croatian section of the Adriatic Highway, running from the Slovenian border at Pasjak via Rijeka, Senj, Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Opuzen, and Dubrovnik to the border with Montenegro at Karasovići.[maps 1][1] Most of the D8 state road remains single carriageway, though with some dual carriageway stretches. The total length of the road through Croatia is 643.1 kilometres (399.6 mi).[2]
Until recently, the road was the primary route connecting the Adriatic coastal parts of Croatia. Since the 2000s, multilane motorways have taken over most of its traffic, and yet more motorways are still being built along the coast. The motorways parallel to the road are the A7 (Rupa border crossing – Rijeka – Sveti Kuzam), A6 (Rijeka – Bosiljevo) and A1 (Zagreb – Bosiljevo – Zadar – Split – Ploče), sections of the proposed Adriatic–Ionian motorway.[3] Since the D8 closely follows the well-indented Croatian coastline, travel is considerably longer and less safe compared to the motorways because of numerous blind curves and at-grade intersections. The D8 is still popular as an alternative to the tolled motorways, so the road carries fairly constant traffic during most of the year. The traffic intensifies in the summer, because of substantial traffic to tourist destinations.
The section from Rijeka to Senj experiences heavy traffic in particular because many motorists are unwilling to take the longer route along A6 and A1. This problem used to be exacerbated before 2009 when A6 still had slow semi-highway parts on the Rijeka–Bosiljevo route. This section will remain congested at peak times until eventual completion of the A7 motorway between Rupa and Žuta Lokva.
Since the parallel A1 motorway ends near Ploče, southbound A1 traffic generally switches to the D8 state road.
Originally, the D8 road terminated 30 km (20 mi) after Ploče, at the Klek border crossing to Bosnia and Herzegovina, as the Adriatic Highway route runs across a tiny strip of Bosnia and Herzegovina territory around the town of Neum, and then resumed after reentering Croatia at Zaton Doli border crossing.
Following the building of the Pelješac Bridge in July 2022, and the Ston bypass in April 2023, the D8 was rerouted and it no longer goes to Bosnia and Herzegovina, but goes across the bridge, adding 4 kilometers to the length. The section from the northern entrance of the bridge to the border crossing at Klek is now renumbered D236, and the section from the southern bridge entrance road (and Ston bypass) to the Zaton Doli border crossing is now renumbered D237.[4] The opening of the Ston bypass allowed buses, heavy trucks, and trucks carrying hazardous materials to use the bridge.
In Komarna, at the Duboka interchange, the road becomes an expressway as it enters the Pelješac bridge, the old D8 going to the border is now D236. Since the bridge section is an expressway, pedestrians, bicycles and mopeds are not allowed on it and are still required to go through Bosnia and Herzegovina. The bridge crosses to the Pelješac peninsula at Brijesta, where 2 km (1.2 mi) down the expressway comes the Brijesta interchange. 7 km (4.3 mi) from Brijesta, the road crosses with the old D414 at Zaradeže interchange (the section going to Zaton Doli has since been demoted to county road). 12 km (7.5 mi) from Zaradeže, the road crosses with D416 at Prapratno interchage. 7 km (4.3 mi) from Prapratno, the road rejoins the old D8 (the section to the border now bearing the designation D237) and the expressway status ends, as the road continues running to Dubrovnik along the coastline. East of Dubrovnik the road passes by Dubrovnik Airport and reaches the border with Montenegro at the Karasovići border crossing.[1]
The D8 is the longest state road in Croatia at 643.1 km (399.6 mi). Following the rerouting over the Pelješac bridge, the length extended by 4.5 km (2.8 mi).
The road, as well as all other state roads in Croatia, is managed and maintained by Hrvatske ceste, a state-owned company.[5]
Traffic volume
Traffic is regularly counted and reported by Hrvatske Ceste.[6] Significant variations between annual (AADT) and summer (ASDT) traffic volumes are attributed to the fact that the road carries substantial tourist traffic.
Traffic volume on the D8 state road varies greatly, as the road runs through areas of more or less developed tourist industry. Furthermore, the road runs through or near a number of major Croatian cities, such as Rijeka, Zadar and Split, which add to the traffic volume significantly. Thus, the most congested section of the D8 state road is in the city of Split, between Solin and Stobreč, where the greatest AADT figures are regularly recorded, far exceeding comparable figures of the busiest motorway sections in Croatia. Conversely, the lowest traffic volume on the D8 road is observed near Karlobag due to comparatively less developed tourism and the absence of major cities in the area. The AADT recorded on the D8 road observed in Split (Solin and Stobreč) is nearly 50 times greater than in Karlobag.
D8 traffic volume
AADT and ASDT figures by individual counting sites
Counting site
AADT
ASDT
Notes
2801 Pasjak
5,136
9,690
Adjacent to A7 motorway Pasjak interchange. Average daily traffic figure is provided instead of AADT.
Adjacent to the Ž6243 junction. The AADT figure estimated by Hrvatske ceste.
6604 Gruda – southeast
3,626
6,124
Adjacent to the Ž6241 junction. Average daily traffic figure is provided instead of AADT.
Note: All the traffic counting sites are located along the D8 road.
Major intersections
This article contains a bulleted list or table of intersections which should be presented in a properly formatted junction table. Please consult this guideline for information on how to create one. Please improve this article if you can.(November 2021)
Listed settlements contain additional intersections with local and/or non-categorized roads. The intersections are at-grade except where otherwise noted.
Pasjak border crossing to Slovenia.[1] Northern terminus of the road and of the European route E61; Northbound D8 traffic defaults to Slovenian G7 road
Connection to A7 motorway Rupa interchange and to Rupa border crossing to Slovenia; The D8 and the E61 north of the interchange are concurrent; A parclo interchange
To the Port of Rijeka (Brajdica Terminal) and the A7 motorway in Draga interchange (E65)
Ž5054
To the Orehovica interchange. The interchange allows A6 and A7 traffic to exit to the Ž5054, but it does not permit access to the interchange from the county road.
Ž5057
Connecting areas within the city of Rijeka itself only
To the A7 motorway Sveti Kuzam interchange (E65), the A6 motorway Čavle interchange (E65) and Kukuljanovo industrial zone and Bakar; The northern terminus of the D8/E65 concurrency
To the A1 motorway in Žuta Lokva interchange and to Josipdol; The D8 and the E65 are concurrent north of the intersection, where the E65 switches between the D8 (north of Senj) and the D23
To A1 motorway Ploče interchange and onwards to Bosnia and Herzegovina via the D62 and Mali Prolog border crossing or via the A10 and Metković border crossing; The D8 and the D65 are concurrent south of the intersection
Expressway to the D513 state road; As of September 2011, the route is incomplete and planned to connect Ploče to the A1 motorway Ploče interchange; Connection to the D513 is provisional; A trumpet interchange
Border crossing to Montenegro; The southern terminus of the route, extending as Montenegrin route M-1 and the southern terminus of the D8 and European routes E65 and E80
.jpg)
