The closure on the D4 Via Salis ended near Milín, traffic in the village will be significantly calmed

On the construction of the D4 Via Salis highway, which is the first Czech PPP project in the field of infrastructure, the most complicated closure on the entire 48-kilometre long, newly built and renovated route ended near Milín in Central Bohemia.

After 183 days, heavy traffic will disappear from Milín tomorrow and traffic will move to the first newly completed section of the D4 highway.

Intense positive dialogue with local residents to minimize negative impact during the deviation at the heart of PPP philosophy.

From tomorrow, the previously closed section from the Milín off-ramp junction to the junction with 11. Května Street will be opened. Between kilometers 49.8 and 51.2, drivers will be able to drive on the first fully completed metres of the new highway. During the closure from June to the end of November, traffic was mainly routed along 11 May Street directly through the village. As a result, up to 12,000 cars a day passed through Milín, temporarily making it one of the busiest municipalities in the Czech Republic. The situation was therefore monitored by the Ministry of Transport and the head of the Ministry, Martin Kupka, personally visited Milín in June to see the detour.

"All the works were carried out according to schedule, so the deadline was met, according to which the detour through Milín will end at the end of November. Despite the fact that the contractor, the investor, the municipality and the Ministry of Transport tried together to minimize the complications associated with the restrictions to a bearable limit, it was a huge burden for the locals. I would therefore like to thank them for their understanding and patience with which they endured everything," said Transport Minister Martin Kupka.

"The past months have been a real test for the citizens of our municipality. I am very glad that the work went according to plan and, above all, that no serious accidents occurred on the Milín crossing," added the mayor of Milín, Vladimír Vojáček.

The section of the highway on which work was carried out during the closure is one of the most demanding on the entire newly constructed route. The highway cuts into the Kojetín hill in the vicinity of Milín, whose rock massif had to be largely removed by the builders, who extracted roughly 43,000 cubic metres of rock. In addition, two bridge structures were built in the 1.4 km long passage. One of the bridges is directly part of the highway and spans a local road. The other bridge crosses the highway and serves as an ecoduct for the crossing of wildlife.

"We kept our commitment and completed the closure exactly as planned. I would like to thank everyone in Milín and the surrounding area for their patience. The Via Salis team, together with the contractor, DIVia Construction, and our operator, Via Salis Operations, worked hard to make traffic as safe and stress-free as possible during the closure," said Via Salis CEO Christian Biegert. "The pace of construction at Milín is truly remarkable," he added.

Construction is progressing at a record pace and on schedule thanks to the contractor, which is the VINCI Construction CS Group represented by DIVia stavební. More than 1,400 people and machines are working daily on the entire route of the new 32 km long section of the D4 motorway. Drivers and local residents can see the construction growing right before their eyes.

From 1 December, the Buk rest area (EuroTank petrol station) will also be open to the public again, with the same access from the roundabout as before its temporary closure.

The PPP (Public Private Partnership) D4 project is being implemented by Via Salis, a consortium composed of the French companies VINCI Highways and Meridiam. The investment includes the design, financing and construction of 32 km of the D4 highway from Příbram to Písek and the modernization and maintenance of another 16 km of already operational connecting sections. According to the contract with the state, construction will be completed in December 2024 and the consortium will operate the highway for the next 25 years. The construction work is being carried out by DIVia stavební, which belongs to the VINCI Construction CS Group. Operation and maintenance on the existing nearly 16 kilometres is in the hands of Via Salis Operations, wholly owned by VINCI Highways, from 1 July 2021.