Czech motorway D3 approaches the Austrian border

The Roads and Motorways Directorate (RSD) began construction of a twelve-kilometer section of the D3 motorway from Kaplice nádrazi to Nazidla on Friday. Part of the new section is scheduled to be opened to traffic at the end of 2026. The entire South Bohemian section of the D3 motorway from the state border to České Budějovice will be completed in September 2027, according to RSD General Director Radek Mátl.

Due to the positive development of the South Bohemian business location, traffic in the region has increased significantly, said Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka. Investments in transport infrastructure are being made in response to this: “In December this year, we will open not only 30 kilometers of new highway, but also the long-awaited bypass of Budweis, which will significantly reduce traffic in the city.

Representing Upper Austria’s infrastructure minister Günther Steinkellner, FP MP Peter Handlos attended the ceremony. Instead of a groundbreaking ceremony, a starting stone is being hammered in the Czech Republic. “When it comes to the speed of the motorway construction and, incidentally, the construction of a high-speed railway, we can certainly look enviously at our neighbours,” said Handlos after a one-on-one meeting with the Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka. Mayor Anita Gstöttenmayr (Leopoldschlag) and Mayor Günther Lorenz (Rainbach) also accepted the invitation of the road construction directorate to the start of construction.

The D3 motorway is to connect Prague with České Budějovice and the Austrian border over a length of 170 kilometers. Currently, 70 kilometers of the D3 motorway are in operation. According to RSD, the D3 will be completed by 2031.