Slovenian Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said overnight work on the Belveder roundabout on the coast is constrained by noise rules and the permit system. Administrative units do not always issue approvals for construction at night. He made the remarks on the sidelines of an event in the Koroška region and left open the possibility of legislative changes.
The weekend reconstruction caused severe congestion. On Sunday, drivers heading toward Koper waited nearly two hours in a kilometre-long queue stretching from Lucija to the work site. An alternative trip from Piran to Koper took up to an hour and a half. Traffic toward Piran backed up just beyond the Markovec tunnel. Diverted vehicles also congested the Dragonja–Koper road, while temporary closures for an Istrian cycling marathon added pressure to local roads and detours via Malija.
Work on the roundabout began in June but was halted after complaints and rescheduled for autumn. Machinery returned on September 15. Vrtovec partly blamed the previous government for the timing and said the restart kept the work outside the tourist season. The infrastructure directorate expects reconstruction to be completed between October 15 and 20.
Piran Mayor Andrej Korenika warned in mid-September that June’s conditions could recur and called for immediate action, including night shifts and keeping traffic moving during peak periods. He said the queues posed a serious danger to ambulance and fire-service access. Local representatives of the Freedom Movement and Social Democrats MP Meira Hot also called for overnight work and monitoring on the regional road between Izola and Strunjan, alongside measures to improve traffic flow and shorten construction.
Vrtovec said he had requested a report on the absence of night shifts and received responses citing noise and environmental permits. “We work at night where the law allows it,” he said, adding that the rules could be changed.