The inauguration ceremony was held at the Krka rest area near Skradin, 50 km northwest of the southern Adriatic city of Split.
"In every people's history there are special occasions when generations have dreamt of one goal, and today we have the privilege to be part of a generation who created free Croatia, but also connected Croatia's north and south," said the PM.
"This isn't just a road from Zagreb to Split, but a path through history towards what we wanted and dreamt of and what we were deprived of. This highway reminds us of everything bad that we have gone through, but also to work in unison," Sanader said.
"Yesterday we marked Statehood Day, and is there a bigger and more beautiful gift to the homeland than this highway, which is evidence of human perseverance and strength?" he concluded by asking.
The biggest transport project in Croatia and in this part of Europe was begun during previous governments whose prime ministers, Savka Dabcevic-Kucar, Zlatko Matesa and Ivica Racan, also spoke at today's inauguration.
The ceremony marking the opening of the Zagreb-Split highway began in Zagreb around noon and ends in Split in the evening. In attendance are state officials, public and cultural figures and numerous foreign guests.
The highway is of outstanding importance for the economic revival of the country. Construction was worth 17 billion kuna, minus VAT, and covered 380 km of highway and 292 facilities.
The last section opened today will be open for traffic tomorrow.
(EUR1 = 7.3 )