The D4 Via Salis opens to drivers. The first PPP transport project in the Czech Republic brings a safe and fast route to the south

The construction of the D4 Via Salis motorway has been completed and a fast connection between central and southern Bohemia is now open to drivers in the coming festive season. As part of the first successful PPP (Public Private Partnership), 32 kilometres of completely new road were built on the route between Příbram and Písek and a further 16 kilometres of older sections were upgraded. The construction took 43 months, and the new motorway will be maintained by the private company Via Salis Operations for the next 25 years.

The ribbon was ceremoniously cut at the Lety junction, near where the foundation stone for the 2021 construction was laid. A state-of-the-art Road Management and Maintenance Centre has also been built adjacent to the junction, approximately in the middle of the route of the new motorway. Hundreds more people involved in the D4 project gathered there today.

"The construction of the D4 motorway, which is the first major PPP project in our country, has shown that this model of cooperation between the state and the private sector as one of the tools to ensure the construction of transport infrastructure works. The construction will not only speed up the journey from Prague to the south of Bohemia and vice versa, but it will also be much safer. Drivers will not have to pass through the dangerous Lety u Písku junction and will also get rid of the traditional Friday and Sunday traffic jams around Milín.

We need to invest trillions of crowns in the development of transport infrastructure over the next ten years. To secure these funds, we are therefore also counting on greater involvement of private capital in other projects on motorways and railways," says Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

The D4 Via Salis motorway started construction in June 2021. The D4 PPP project was implemented by the Via Salis consortium consisting of the French companies VINCI Highways and Meridiam. The contractor of the construction works were companies from the VINCI Construction CS group. The D4 motorway will significantly speed up the connection between Central Bohemia (Prague, Příbram) and South Bohemia (Strakonice, Písek) and further towards the border with Germany, which will also help the economic development of the regions it connects. A modern and, above all, safe road has been created, which will make the traffic in the sections clearer and significantly relieve traffic complications and reduce accidents.

Drivers will also benefit from two opposite rest areas with complete facilities including 246 parking spaces, public toilets, petrol stations and restaurants. In addition, the D4 will help a number of communities in the region that have so far been burdened by heavy traffic, congestion and exhaust fumes from traffic on the I/4.

"The implementation of the D4 motorway through the PPP will significantly speed up the connection between Central and South Bohemia and relieve many municipalities in the region from the traffic burden. Thanks to the completion of D4, we will also put into operation a record 110 kilometres of new motorways this year," says Transport Minister Martin Kupka.

The D4 motorway will make a significant contribution to traffic safety and fluidity with its state-of-the-art technological equipment. One of the key structures on the D4 is therefore the Concessionaire's Management and Maintenance Centre, or simply put, the Operations Centre. The centre is home to Via Salis Operations, a team of nearly 50 people responsible for managing and maintaining the motorway for the next 25 years. In the operations centre, all the information transmitted from cameras, sensors and sensors located along the entire route of the D4 converges. 100% coverage of the motorway will allow the operator's teams to react quickly to any incidents on the motorway.

The D4 project also stands out for its ambitious approach to environmental protection. For example, almost 100% of the asphalt milled on the D4 has been recycled. All the soil that was removed from the future route of the motorway was used to cover the embankments, while the topsoil was given to the farmers. Aggregates were used to build the base layers of the motorway, mainly from local sources, thereby reducing emissions from long-distance traffic in particular. Other sustainable initiatives are also underway. One example is the sowing of special seed mixtures along the motorway, creating so-called wild meadows instead of the traditional monoculture grass. Ecological aspects are also making their way into technologies that include, for example, the use of photovoltaic panels in the operations centre.

"We are proud that we have managed to build a very modern motorway that is full of cutting-edge technology and at the same time its construction and operation are very environmentally friendly. It will speed up the journey from Prague to Písek by at least 20 minutes," says Via Salis CEO Christian Biegert.

"The D4 was an exceptional project in terms of the large number of people and equipment involved and the number of kilometres that were built at once. We carried out the entire project with our own capacities", adds Martin Borovka, CEO of the VINCI Construction CS Group, which designed the project and carried out all the construction work.

Via Salis Operations has been fully responsible for the operation, monitoring, management and maintenance of the motorway for 25 years. The State remains the owner of the infrastructure and will take full control of the motorway in 2049. The State will pay the concessionaire a regular 'availability payment'.

The opening of the motorway was attended by Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Transport Minister Martin Kupka as representative of the contracting authority, Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Karel Havlíček, who signed the concession agreement as Transport Minister, and Via Salis concessionaire CEO Christian Biegert. Both shareholders VINCI Highways and Meridiam were represented by Pierre Anjolras, CEO of the global VINCI and Partner Group, and Fadi Selwan, CEO of Meridiam.

Other distinguished guests included the Ambassador of France Stéphane Crouzat, the Director of the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure Zbyněk Hořelica, Martin Borovka, General Director of the VINCI Construction CS Group, the General Director of the Road and Motorway Directorate Radek Mátl, the governors of both regions concerned and the senators and deputies who monitored the project during its implementation.