Budimex, Poland’s largest construction company, has completed its first contract in Slovakia – a major highway interchange near Bratislava where the D1 and D4 motorways meet. The project, delivered 90 days ahead of schedule, is expected to significantly reduce congestion in the Slovak capital by diverting heavy transit traffic onto the city ring road.
The interchange at Triblavina, located just northeast of Bratislava, was officially opened on 21 June 2026. The complex eight‑ramp junction allows traffic from the D1 (the country’s busiest motorway) to seamlessly connect with the D4 bypass, eliminating a long‑standing bottleneck near Zlaté Piesky. According to the contractor, early sections of the project had already diverted more than 2,100 heavy trucks per day from the overloaded Prístavný bridge.
Complex engineering under live traffic
The contract, signed in November 2022 with Slovak road authority Národná diaľničná spoločnosť, was worth €110.85 million and executed in a ‘design & build’ formula. Budimex delivered 160 individual structures, including 18 bridges, eight new slip roads, and modernised over five kilometres of the existing D1 route. A total of 3,594 metres of noise barriers, 1,031 square metres of large‑format road signs, and 1.38 kilometres of retaining walls were installed. At peak, the site employed more than 3,000 workers and 1,600 pieces of equipment.
One of the greatest technical challenges was raising the vertical alignment (profile) of the D1 – Slovakia’s most heavily used motorway – while keeping it open to traffic. The operation was necessary to match the height of the D1 with the D4 alignment. Despite the difficulty, the entire interchange was opened three months ahead of the contractual deadline.
Expansion strategy in Central Europe
– For us it was a huge challenge, because it is the most complicated contract on the territory of the Slovak Republic. The exit to northeastern Slovakia depended on the interchange we were reconstructing – emphasised Cezary Łysenko, board member and operational director for infrastructure and general construction at Budimex, during the official opening on 21 June.
– We have shown that we can successfully implement significant projects also in Slovakia – added Artur Popko, CEO of Budimex.
The Polish company has been present on the Slovak market since 2021, but this was its first awarded contract there. Although Budimex has lost other tenders in the country, it remains determined to win more work. The group is already active in Germany, the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Latvia, and treats foreign markets as a stabilising complement to its core Polish operations.
Looking for the next challenge
– There is a lot to do on the Slovak market, it only depends on the financial resources of investors such as NDS and Slovak railways. We want to build a portfolio that will allow us to operate here as we have done so far. For three years we functioned based on the D1 and D4 contract. So we are looking for a contract worth at least 100‑150 million zlotys. If we find one, it will give us room to operate on this market for several years – said Cezary Łysenko.
Budimex’s CEO, Artur Popko, stated in February 2026 that the group aims to generate around PLN 1.5 billion annually from foreign markets, which would represent about 10‑15% of its total portfolio. Poland will always remain the key market, but international projects help stabilise company revenues.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Michał Wroński / PTWP
