The construction of the 28.2 km modern motorway from Demir Kapija up to Smokvica by AKTOR in April 2018, signaled in parallel the completion of the European Corridor X that connects Salzburg, Austria with Thessaloniki, Greece via Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade and Skopje (total length of 1,451 km).

The motorway is a dual carriageway with two lanes plus an emergency lane per direction and is a section of the Trans European Transport Network. The construction project also included two twin tunnels of 4.7 km, 6 major bridges, 2 interchanges, 5 overpasses and 7 underpasses, as well as 120 underground culverts.

The estimated circulation of the motorway is approximately 10,000 vehicles/day.

The Motorway Demir Kapija-Smokvica, also called «Friendship Motorway» was a symbolic project, since it marked the start of the European campaign for community support in the sector of transports.