EU financing has supported construction of a new section of the Czech Republic’s D35 motorway between the villages of Opatovice, Časy and Ostrov in the Pardubice region. The first phase of the project entails building a grade-separated junction at Opatovice. Grade separation refers to the alignment of the roads at different heights so that they do not disrupt traffic flows where they cross.
- 28 July 2017
The road built under the project is a four-lane dual carriageway 1.04 km in length. It includes a 940-m multi-span bridge (with supports at both ends and in between).
In addition, the work includes two slip roads 320 m and 245 m long, as well as connections between the slip roads and a roundabout at the junction. The junction links up with an existing section of the D35 between Opatovice and the village of Sedlice, co-financed by the EU through a previous project.
A second phase adds extensions
Phase two of the project involves building sections of the D35 from Opatovice to Časy and from Časy to Ostrov. As with the Opatovice junction, both sections comprise a four-lane dual carriageway. Both also include two grade-separated junctions. The Opatovice-Časy section is 12.61 km long while that between Časy and Ostrov is 14.7 km, bringing the total length of road built under both phases to 28.35 km.
Work on the Opatovice to Časy section also includes construction of 16 bridges on the D35 and six bridges spanning it, five noise barriers totalling 3.56 km in length, a 490-m noise barrier on a multi-span bridge and a 396 m barrier to shield a special protection area for birds. Additional elements of the work between Časy and Ostrov include the building of 22 bridges, 16 of which are on the main route, and five are noise barriers.
The total cost of the Opatovice junction is EUR 77.8 million of which the EU is providing almost EUR 56.8 million. Costs for the Opatovice-Časy-Ostrov road total more than EUR 556 million, with the EU’s contribution rising to EUR 426.7 million. Global costs stand at nearly EUR 631 million, of which some EUR 483.5 million is from the EU budget.
An important international connection
When completed, the D35 will be an important artery for domestic and international traffic and part of the Trans-European Transport Network. It will connect the D1/D47 motorway close to Olomouc with the D11 near Hradec Králové and provide a connection through the north of the Czech Republic between Germany, Poland and Slovakia. The D1, which links Prague, Brno and Ostrava, is currently the main route for this, but increases in road traffic have overloaded it, making an alternative necessary.
The project will create conditions for economic development in the Hradec Králové and Pardubice regions, which together have more than a million inhabitants. The road will divert long-haul traffic away from urban areas, shorten journey times, increase safety, eliminate congestion and cut operating costs.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “D35 GSJ Opatovice - Časy - Ostrov” is EUR 66 820 649, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 56 797 552 through the “Transport” Operational Programme for the 2007-2013 programming period.