The start of construction was delayed for several months due to disputes over the contractor selection. The Polish company Budimex SA and a Czech-Slovak-Hungarian consortium led by MI Roads of the Metrostav Group competed for the contract.
“As recently as April this year, the media reported that construction had stalled. All complications have since been resolved in record time,” wrote Martin Kupka, the Czech Minister of Transport, on social media.
Record road contract
The Minister emphasised that the 21-kilometre section of the D11 motorway represents the largest road contract in the history of the Czech Roads and Motorways Directorate (RSD). Among other structures, 28 bridges, two tunnels, and three level crossings will be built between Trutnov and the Polish border. Czech media have highlighted that no other motorway of such engineering complexity has ever been built in the country.
The first step will be the construction of a three-kilometre section between Královec and Bernartice, which will connect to the Polish S3. On the Polish side, the expressway currently allows access to the Lubawka junction. The remaining three kilometres, from Lubawka to the border, will be opened when the D11 section in the Czech Republic is completed.
“This is an extremely demanding project and the largest RSD order in decades. It’s crucial to maximise the remaining time before winter, as there’s very little left. We need to start construction as soon as possible, and we are now providing RSD with all the necessary support,” said Zdenek Ludvik, CEO of MI Roads, as quoted by krkonossky.denik.cz.
The Czech Roads and Motorways Directorate is also preparing the second missing section of the D11 motorway between Jaromer and Trutnov. According to krkonossky.denik.cz, the tender for this contract will be announced later this year, with construction expected to begin next year.
In Poland, a section of road under construction
In Poland, most of the S3 route has already been completed. In July, the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways opened the section of the expressway between the Bolków and Kamienna Góra Północ junctions, completing the road in Lower Silesia.
The S3 section between Świnoujście and Troszyn in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship is still under construction and is expected to be operational by the end of 2024.
Ultimately, the S3 will be approximately 470 km long. Once the Świnoujście-Troszyn section is finished, a modern transport route will span Poland’s western border, connecting the ports of Świnoujście and Szczecin to southern Poland and the Czech Republic. Upon completion of the Czech D11 motorway, the route will extend all the way to Prague, forming a vital link between Poland and its southern neighbour.