The D6 motorway connects Prague with Karlovy Vary, Sokolov and Cheb and continues to the border crossing with the Federal Republic of Germany.
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The D6 motorway is a road in the Czech Republic that runs from Prague via Unhošť, Řevničov, Lubenec, Karlovy Vary and Sokolov to Jesenice and Cheb, where it connects to the road network of the Federal Republic of Germany. According to the Ředitelství silnic a dálnic ČR, its total length is 110.918 km [2]. The route is part of the international TEN-T road network and carries the European route E 48, which leads from Germany via Pomezí nad Ohří, Cheb and Karlovy Vary to Prague. In the Cheb – Karlovy Vary section the motorway also carries the European route E 49, running from Germany via Vojtanov, Plzeň and České Budějovice to Austria [1].
History and construction
The motorway was preceded by road I/6, whose route passed through the centres of a number of municipalities, which, according to the motorway's information website, had a negative effect on the quality of the environment and on road safety. Because neither the technical condition nor the horizontal and vertical alignment of the route matched the growing traffic load, especially heavy goods traffic, it was decided to rebuild the road as a four-lane motorway with separated carriageways [1].
The reconstruction began in the late 1980s. In 2003 the 4.4 km Kamenný Dvůr – Y interchange section was opened. In 2007 the 8.9 km bypass through Karlovy Vary was completed. In 2008 the 30 km Praha-Pavlov – Nové Strašecí section was completed. Between 2010 and 2012 the sections Jenišov – Nové Sedlo (4.4 km), Nové Sedlo – Sokolov (7.5 km), Sokolov – Tisová (5.4 km) and Tisová – Kamenný Dvůr (7.5 km) were opened one after another. With the completion of these sections, a continuous four-lane route was created from the Cheb-sever grade-separated interchange to Karlovy Vary [1].
In 2015 the 4.1 km section between Lubenec and Bošov was opened. At the end of November 2020 the Nové Strašecí – Řevničov section (5.6 km) and the Řevničov bypass (4.2 km) were opened. At the end of August 2021 the 4.9 km Lubenec bypass was opened. At the end of August 2024 the 6.5 km section near Krupá was opened. In September 2025 two further sections were opened near Hořesedly and Hořovičky, 9.2 and 5.2 km long respectively [1].
According to the motorway's information website, the continuous section between Prague and the grade-separated interchange with road I/27 near Jesenice, on the border of the Central Bohemian and Ústí nad Labem Regions, is thus 62 km long, while the continuous section between Prague and Krupá is 49.2 km long [1].
Parameters and technical design
The motorway is designed with four traffic lanes, two in each direction, in category R 24.5/100 or R 25.5/100. All junctions and crossings with the rest of the road network are grade-separated. The route is complemented by measures to protect the environment and to ensure compliance with health limits, in particular noise walls and barriers [1].
Route and connections
According to an overview by the Ředitelství silnic a dálnic ČR, the D6 runs from Prague (connection to the D0 ring road) via Unhošť (connection to road I/61), Řevničov (connection to road I/16) and Bukov (connection to road I/27), then through the Lubenec – Bošov section (connection to road I/6), via Karlovy Vary (connection to roads I/6 and I/20), Sokolov and Jesenice (connection to road I/21) to Cheb (connection to roads I/6 and I/21) [2].
Road I/6, which the motorway replaces, carries international road traffic heading for Germany to the Pomezí nad Ohří border crossing and, via the connecting sections of roads I/21, I/25 and I/64, to further border crossings at Vojtanov, Boží Dar and in Aš [1].
Aim of the construction
According to the motorway's information website, the aim is to complete the remaining sections and create a full connection between Prague and the West Bohemian conurbation, including an international link with the Federal Republic of Germany [1]. The preparation and implementation of works on the route are based on basic conceptual documents, which include Government Resolution No. 741/1999 on the Proposal for the Development of Transport Networks in the Czech Republic until 2010 [1].
Chronology
- — On 30 September 2026 seven vehicles collided on the D6 motorway near Unhošť and traffic towards Prague was restricted. → iROZHLAS Novinky.cz
Pages that link here
Sources
- Ředitelství silnic a dálnic ČR (informační web) — 1 September 2025
- Ředitelství silnic a dálnic ČR — 1 July 2026