Future of South Bohemian motorway D3 still unsolved
Unsolved for decades, repeatedly delayed problem and Czech disgrace. That could be a brief description of the situation concerning road connection between Prague and South Bohemia region and thus…
Unsolved for decades, repeatedly delayed problem and Czech disgrace. That could be a brief description of the situation concerning road connection between Prague and South Bohemia region and thus Austria and southern Europe, too. D3 motorway, which should connect Prague to České Budějovice, has been in papers and promises of politicians for many years, however, motorists may use only a few kilometre long stretch. Its first part, 3.3 kilometre long bypass of Tábor, was opened twenty years ago (!), on 30th June 1991. Only 15 kilometre stretch from Tábor to Mezno is currently in operation. In October 2008, construction of 25 km long section from Tábor to Veselí nad Lužnicí was launched. Motorists should be able to use it at the end of next year. The planned 170 km – long motorway (from Prague city ring-road to Austrian border) was supposed to be completed, or in final phase of construction by now, according to politicians’ promises.
The construction of D3 was considered already in 1939. In 1963, the basic network of motorways in Czechoslovakia was set up, however, D3 was missing then. It was added in 1987. The network of motorways, including the D3, was re-confirmed by the government after the establishment of the independent Czech Republic, and D3 has been part of strategic plans to date (with the only exception of the years 1997 to 1999). D3 motorway, along with D8 and one part of the Prague ring-road R1, is a part of the 3,305 km long European road E55 from Helsingborg in Sweden to Kalamata in Greece. It is also included in the trans-European transport network (TEN-T).
There are still many unsolved issues regarding the construction of D3, particularly funding and its route in some sections. Inclusion in the pilot projects of public-private partnership (PPP) is considered as a financing possibility. An option when a private investor within PPP will pay for the section from Veselí to České Budějovice is being prepared. Last year in January, economic ministers rejected the proposal of the Transport Ministr, which assumed that it would be possible to build the entire 113 km long stretch of motorway from Tábor to the Austrian border through PPP between 2011 and 2015. Similarly to any other motorway construction, D3 is troubled by protests of general public and environmental activists and problems with purchases of land, there are dozens of objections to the preparation of construction.