"Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico officially inaugurated the Visnove tunnel in the northern city of Zilina on Monday, marking the completion of a project that has been nearly three decades in the making and more than ten years under construction. Footage shows Fico roller rollerskating through the 7.5-kilometre tunnel hours before its official opening to the public, drawing attention to the long-delayed infrastructure milestone. "Today, the Visnove tunnel, and I didn't want to miss this opportunity to go through the whole tunnel on roller skates," Fico said. "It's a fantastic cause. Have a wonderful Christmas and a nice New Year!" The prime minister added he would provide further details later in the day during a scheduled speech. The Visnove tunnel forms the core of the 13.5-kilometre D1 highway section between Lietavska Lucka and Dubna Skala, completing a key missing link on Slovakia's main east-west motorway connecting Bratislava to Kosice. Now the longest road tunnel in Slovakia, Visnove is expected to significantly ease traffic between Zilina and Martin by diverting more than 80 percent of vehicles away from the congested and accident-prone route beneath Strecno Castle. Despite its completion, the project has faced mounting criticism from opposition parties. The Progressive Slovakia (PS) party has reportedly described the tunnel as a symbol of mismanagement, citing cost overruns and alleged safety shortcomings during construction. Plans for the route date back to around 1990, with exploratory works beginning in 1998 under then-prime minister Vladimir Meciar. Since then, 13 transport ministers have overseen the project through multiple governments. In 2009, Fico's first government included the section in a public-private partnership (PPP) plan, after promising the D1 highway would link Bratislava and Kosice by 2010. The PPP model was scrapped in 2011 over cost concerns, and the project reverted to public procurement. A €338 million bid was later cancelled after Fico returned to power, with a new tender awarded in 2014 for €410 million and a 2019 completion deadline. That target was missed amid delays and unpaid subcontractors, leading the state to terminate the contract in 2019. Construction resumed in 2021 following another tender, with Skanska returning to complete the tunnel during the coronavirus pandemic."