Motorway Expansion South of Prague: Green Light for D3 Section Václavice - Voračice

A key infrastructure project in Central Bohemia is moving forward: regional planning approval has now been granted for nearly 16 kilometres of the D3. This brings the planned start of construction in 2028 a step closer.

The Ředitelství silnic a dálnic (ŘSD) has announced another important step in the preparation of the Dálnice D3 in the Středočeský kraj. Prague City Hall has issued the regional planning decision for the 15.8-kilometre section Václavice–Voračice. According to the ŘSD, all sections of the Central Bohemian D3 are scheduled to enter construction simultaneously in 2028.

The approximately 350-page document, which has not yet entered into legal force, underlines not only the importance of the project for the Central Bohemian Region but also for the completion of the Czech motorway network. At the same time, the decision addresses individual objections raised by affected municipalities and property owners. According to Prague City Hall, the aim of the project is to route traffic between Prague and České Budějovice, and onwards to the Austrian border, via a high-capacity trunk road.

Foto: Ministerstvo dopravy ČR

“This is already the fourth of a total of five regional planning procedures for the D3 and its associated structures,” said ŘSD spokesperson Jan Rýdl. For the Václavice–Voračice section, planning permission has been obtained, and an application for a building permit is to be submitted later this year.

The future motorway section will measure exactly 15,840 metres. Plans include eleven bridges, five overpasses, two wildlife crossings (ecoducts), service areas on both sides in Minartice, and the 950-metre Prostřední vrch tunnel. For the latter, an engineering-geological survey is to be carried out using an exploratory adit. Work on this is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of this year.

In Central Bohemia, the D3 motorway is to extend for a total of 58.5 kilometres. It will begin at Jesenice, where it connects to the Prague Ring Road. From there, the route will continue southwards past Jílové, Hostěradice, Václavice, Voračice and Nová Hospoda. A six-kilometre link, the so-called Václavice connection, will connect the route to Benešov. In total, 51 bridges, 14 overpasses, seven tunnels and 37 noise barriers with a combined length of 17.1 kilometres are planned. The estimated costs amount to 71.3 billion crowns excluding VAT.

According to current plans, construction of the Central Bohemian D3 is set to begin in 2028, with the motorway expected to open to traffic four years later.