The D3 motorway is to link Prague with České Budějovice and the Austrian border; the Central Bohemian section is still missing and its construction is planned from 2028.
The D3 motorway is intended to link Prague with České Budějovice and the Austrian border. Its Central Bohemian section is still missing, and the Road and Motorway Directorate (ŘSD) is working on its preparation [1].
Central Bohemian section
The Central Bohemian section is to be 58.5 kilometres long. From the Prague Ring Road at Jesenice it is to run south past Jílové, Hostěradice, Václavice, Voračice and Nová Hospoda. A six-kilometre Václavice connector is to link it with Benešov and road I/3. The project includes 51 bridges, 14 overpasses, seven tunnels and 37 noise barriers with a total length of 17.1 kilometres [1][2].
ŘSD plans to start construction in 2028 and complete it in four years, so the motorway could open in 2032. The expected cost is 71.3 billion crowns [1][2]. Transport Minister Ivan Bednárik (SPD) said that around 75 percent of the land should be settled by the end of 2026; according to ŘSD director general Radek Mátl, all voluntary purchases should be completed by the end of 2027 [1]. According to the minister, up to six billion crowns are going into preparing the D3 this year, for land purchases and design work [1].
Exploratory galleries and tunnels
Exploratory galleries are being driven for the seven tunnels of the Central Bohemian section. Two are being built in Posázaví near Jílové. At Václavice in the Benešov area, boring of a third gallery for the Prostřední Vrch tunnel, in the Václavice – Voračice section, began on 1 October 2026. The gallery, named Žofie, is to be 838 metres long and run up to 42 metres below the surface. The work, costing 248 million crowns excluding VAT, is to last until October 2027 and is to clarify the geological conditions before the tunnel construction is awarded [1][2][3].
Criticism
The completion of the motorway has opponents, who object to the route through the tourist-attractive Posázaví and also fear a loss of water. ŘSD and the Ministry of Transport reject these objections [1].
Chronology
- — Boring of an exploratory gallery for the future Prostřední Vrch tunnel on the D3 motorway began near Václavice; the work is expected to cost 248 million crowns and last until 2027. → ČTK / České noviny Novinky.cz
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Sources
- ČTK / České noviny — 1 October 2026
- Novinky.cz — 1 October 2026
- ČT24: regiony — 1 October 2026