Bids are expected by 10 October, while the value of the construction works that are the subject of the call estimated at some EUR 20m.

The construction of roads is determined as the condition for the construction of the 27-kilometre Koper-Divača track, three quarters of which will be through tunnels.

Entries to most of the tunnels will be in the steep and narrow ravines in sparsely populated areas with poor local road infrastructure.

The roads need to be built before construction of tunnels and major bridging structures starts, or within 12 months after the selected contractor starts working on the site.

During construction the roads would be used to access the building site, while later they would be used for maintenance, emergency access in case of accidents and access to farmland and forests for the local population.

Part of one of the access roads would be transformed into a cycling path running along the abandoned Kozina-Trieste rail line.

The funding for the project will in part come from the EU's Connecting Europe Facility mechanism.

The government's project to build a new railway between Koper and Divača at the cost of 960 million euro is still subject to a referendum, to be held on 24 September.