The state will not build the Central Bohemian section of the D3 motorway using the so-called PPP project, i.e., with the help of private money. According to Transport Minister Martin Kupka (ODS), this would be risky due to frequent appeals and lawsuits by opponents of the route.
Kupka said this at a meeting with mayors in Jílové u Prahy on Thursday. Representatives of the affected municipalities, about 70 of whom arrived, were interested in, for example, anti-noise measures or how to avoid possible problems with drinking water sources.
At a similar meeting in Jílové in 2019, then-Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) spoke about the possibility of building the motorway as a PPP project.
Back then, about a hundred opponents waited for Babiš in the square with banners. According to Kupka, the state is counting on using PPP projects in other construction projects, but this will not be the case with D3.
“Here, even considering that we are facing repeated objections, repeated appeals, and lawsuits, it would be perilous to embark on the preparation of a PPP project,” Kupka said.
The so-called western variant of the D3 still has its critics, the loudest of which is the association Alternativa středočeské D3. The opponents are bothered by the fact that the motorway will run through the touristically attractive Posázaví region.
Among other things, they are concerned about problems with the subsoil around Jílové u Prahy, where gold was mined in the Middle Ages. Instead, they recommend increasing the capacity of the I/3 road and building bypasses around the towns.
The Ministry of Transport and the Regional Directorate of Transport have long defended the project. According to them, the route through Posázaví has been repeatedly evaluated as economically sensible and the most suitable.
According to Kupka, the ministry and the Regional Directorate of Transport are counting on appeals or lawsuits against each stage of the decision.
ŘSD recently submitted a new application for a zoning decision for all five motorway sections and the associated feeder roads.
A detailed geotechnical investigation is progressing along the route of the future motorway, the results of which should serve as a critical basis for preparing the documentation for the construction permit.
According to current estimates, Kupka said preparations for the D3 construction could be completed in 2025, and then construction could start.
“We would be happy if people would take a ride on at least the first sections of the D3 highway this decade. If possible, we hope to complete the entire missing section in one go, as this would significantly impact the area. We will see how all the preparatory phases can be passed,” the minister added.
D3 is to connect Prague with České Budějovice and the Austrian border. The Central Bohemian part should be 58.5 kilometers long.
It provides an alternative connection between the Benešov region and Prague and relieves the D1 motorway and the I/3 road. While construction is underway in southern Bohemia, no construction has yet started in the Central Bohemian Region.