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R4 expressway (Slovak: Rýchlostná cesta R4) is an expressway in the north–south direction in eastern Slovakia. Initially planned to be completed in 2023,^[1] the completed 130 kilometres (81 mi) long expressway will connect the state border of Poland to the border with Hungary, passing Svidník, Prešov and Košice.

On the Polish side, the R4 will be connected to the S19 expressway; on the Hungarian side, to the M30 motorway. The section between Prešov and Košické Oľšany is shared with D1, and sections between Košické Oľšany and Haniska with R2. The road is part of the proposed Via Carpatia route.^[2]

Chronology

This corridor was initially included in the expressway network and thus also in the construction plans as early as 1963, by the resolution of the Government of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic No. 286/1963. At that time, it was included as a combination of the motorway No. 73 in the section from Vyšný Komárnik to Prešov, and the motorway No. 68 in the section from Košice to the border with Hungary.

After 1999, as part of the overall reorganisation of the expressway network and their renumbering, the corridor started to be referred to as the R4 expressway. Construction of the first section of the road did not begin until 2007, more than fourty years after the first planning of a capacity road in this corridor. The Svidník bypass (Ladomirová – Svidník-juh) at a length of 4.6 kilometres (2.9 mi), in a half profile was put into operation at the end of 2010.^[3]

In 2013, the 14.2 kilometres (8.8 mi) long section between south of Košice and the border with Hungary at Milhosť was put into operation,^[4] with Skanska as the sole contractor, constructing the section since 2010.^[5] The section received EUR 45 million in subsidies from the European Union.^[6]

In July 2019, Vahostav-SK was tendered to begin construction on Stage I of the Prešov northern bypass. The 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) long section was opened in October 2023.^[7]

Future developments

Stage II of the Prešov bypass is currently under construction. The first preparatory work is being carried out. Once complete, the R4 will expand by a 10.2 kilometres (6.3 mi) long section around Prešov. The section will include twelve bridge structures of various lengths and the approximately 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) long Okruhliak tunnel.^[8]

The R2 section is also in construction, providing a shared section between Košické Oľšany and Haniska with R4. The construction began in March 2022, and the road is to be put into operation in March 2025^{[citation needed]}.

Route description

Country	Region	Location	km	mi	Exit	Name	Destinations	Notes
Slovakia	Slovakia	Slovakia	0	0.0		Vyšný Komárnik-Barwinek border crossing	S 19	Kilometrage starting point Road continues as the Polish S19 Not included in the plan before 2028
					Rest area	Vyšný Komárnik		Not included in the plan before 2028
			1	0.62		Vyšný Komárnik	I/73	Not included in the plan before 2028
			8	5.0		Hunkovce	I/73	Not included in the plan before 2028
			16	9.9		Svidník-sever	I/73
			21	13		Svidník-juh	I/73
			25	16		Stročín	I/73	Not included in the plan before 2028
			30	19		Stropkov-sever	I/15	Not included in the plan before 2028
			34	21		Stropkov-juh	I/15	Not included in the plan before 2028
			40	25		Lomné	I/15	Not included in the plan before 2028
			56	35		Hanušovce nad Topľou	I/18	Not included in the plan before 2028
			65	40		Lipníky	I/18 I/73	Not included in the plan before 2028
			70	43		Kapušany	I/18	In construction
			81	50		Prešov-sever	I/68
			86	53		Prešov-západ	D1 E50	Concurrency with D1
			92	57		Prešov-juh		Concurrency with D1
			103	64		Lemešany		Concurrency with D1
					Rest area	Janovík		Concurrency with D1
			112	70		Budimír, Košice-sever		Concurrency with D1
			118	73		Košice-východ (Košické Oľšany)	D1 E50 R2 E71	Concurrency with D1
			119	74		Košice-východ (Hrašovík)	I/19	Concurrency with R2
			127	79		Košice-Krásna		In construction
			132	82		Košice-juh	I/17
			133	83		Košice-juh	R2 E58	Intersection is planned, it will be built by 2030
			143	89		Kechnec
			145	90		Milhosť-Tornyosnémeti border crossing	M30 E71	Kilometrage end point Road continues as Hungarian M30
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Proposed Route transition Unopened