Challenges in reconstructing state road DC101 in Croatia

This paper presents the process and analyses the problems related to the reconstruction of the state road DC101 in Croatia. DC101 is located on the island of Cres in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. The reconstruction included the construction of a third traffic lane on a section approximately 1.4 km long. To avoid the busy summer season, construction work was carried out during the autumn. Despite this, there was high traffic intensity on the construction site. Therefore, it was necessary to ensure traffic safety and safe working conditions. In addition to the difficulties that arose during the earthworks, unforeseen situations not anticipated in the documentation also occurred on site, requiring additional design solutions. For example, a section affected by an unstable landslide was identified, necessitating an additional solution to preserve stability and ensure traffic safety, as well as the continuous progress and safety of construction works. Otherwise, these unplanned works would have been carried out much more easily. Although the affected section of the road is relatively short, a complex reconstruction was undertaken. Given all of the above, this paper highlights the challenges contractors may face during road reconstruction under heavy traffic, where the project involved extensive earthworks and where numerous unforeseen works additionally appeared, all to optimise the construction of the designed solution.