New D4 Will Be "Eco-Motorway"
Work on the completion of the D4 motorway from Příbram to Písek has started. It is the first PPP project in the Czech Republic which was awarded to a consortium of French companies Meridiam, Vinci Concessions and Vinci Highways in a tender. The project is expected to be distinguished by an ambitious environmental strategy that commits the concessionaire and its contractors to work with respect to the strict environmental and safety rules that Vinci Hihgways implements in all their projects.
The commitment to environmental protection is evident already during the preparatory works. For example, zoologists are working along the new section which will be 32 kilometres long. They supervise the placement of barriers for amphibians to protect them from construction machinery. A total of 16 km of barriers will be placed along the route. Special fabric is being used to prevent amphibians from entering the construction area. The mobile amphibian barriers will later be replaced by fixed guidance walls. In addition, 40 bridge structures will be built over the motorway, 5 of which will be primarily used for wildlife migration. The fact that no pesticides will be used on site and that new retention basins for rainwater will be created also contributes to biodiversity conservation and pollution prevention.
The Via Salis project is also committed to promoting a circular economy, which will be reflected, for example, in the recycling of materials. During the construction of the 'eco-motorway', some of the excavated soil that would otherwise end up in landfill will be used. It is also envisaged that most of the milled asphalt will find a new use.
"The new sections of the D4, which will meet the highest international safety and environmental standards, should be ready by the end of 2024. I am pleased that we can use the environmental know-how and experience of Vinci Highways in the construction," adds Via Salis CEO Christian Biegert.
In addition to the builders themselves, surveyors and pyrotechnicians are working on the site these days. After the topsoil has been removed, the archaeologists have also come to the site to carry out rescue research.
The new motorway is being built under the name Via Salis by DIVia stavební, a 100% subsidiary of the EUROVIA CS group.
