D8 motorway (Czech Republic)

D8 motorway (Czech: Dálnice D8) is a highway in the Central and North Bohemian region of the Czech Republic. It connects Prague through Ústí nad Labem with the German border at Petrovice and the Bundesautobahn 17 at Bad Gottleuba, leading to Dresden. It forms part of the major European route E55 and the Pan-European Corridor IV.

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D8 Motorway
Dálnice D8
Route information
Part of European route E55
Length94 km (58 mi)
Major junctions
From D0 in Prague-Březiněves
Major intersections I/9 near Zdiby
I/15 I/30 near Lovosice
I/8 near Velemín-Bílinka
R63 E442 near Řehlovice
I/30 near Ústí nad Labem
I/13 near Jílové
To A17 border with Germany
Location
CountryCzech Republic
RegionsPrague, Central Bohemian, Ústí nad Labem
Major citiesPrague, Ústí nad Labem
Highway system

Segments
Lovosice junction

The first sections of the highway running 45 km (28 mi) from the Prague Ring to the Lovosice junction were opened between 1990 and 2000; the northwestern segment leading 23 km (14 mi) from Ústí nad Labem to the German border was completed on 21 December 2006,[1] including the longest tunnel in the Czech Republic, the 2,058 m (6,752 ft) long Panenská tunnel. Another 5 km (3.1 mi) long section from Ústí nad Labem to Řehlovice was opened in 1988 in the course of the construction of the R63 expressway.

Works on remaining 16 km (9.9 mi) long segment between Řehlovice and Lovosice were delayed for several years due to numerous protests and appeals by the Děti Země environmental movement against the route taken through the České Středohoří mountain range, a protected landscape area and nature reserve. From the beginning, the project has been also criticized by some geologists,[2] and lately by the National Financial Audit Office for large cost overrun. In 2013, a major landslide buried part of the under-construction highway.[3] Construction work nevertheless continued and the last part of highway was opened in December 2016 albeit with traffic restrictions between Lovosice and Řehlovice.[4] The restrictions caused by unstable geology; reduced traffic to one lane each on a 2 km (1.2 mi) section. A solution is to reinforce the section with grout which cost 220 million Kč (8.43 million €).[5] The traffic restrictions between Lovosice and Řehlovice were removed on 20 September 2017 following the stabilization of the roadway.[6]

Images
  • Motorway D8, foot bridge Kočičí oči (Cat Eyes).
    Motorway D8, foot bridge Kočičí oči (Cat Eyes).
  • Emergency stopping lane on D8 near Petrovice.
    Emergency stopping lane on D8 near Petrovice.
  • Small chapel "Virgin Mary" (1820) in Trmice-Koštov under D8 motorway.
    Small chapel "Virgin Mary" (1820) in Trmice-Koštov under D8 motorway.
  • Panenská tunnel (2.1 km (1.3 mi)).
    Panenská tunnel (2.1 km (1.3 mi)).
  • Motorway D8, Krásný Les
    Motorway D8, Krásný Les

References
  1. Road and Motorway Directorate of the Czech Republic
  2. "D8 je díra na peníze, politiky jsem marně varoval, cena teď bude astronomická, říká geolog Cajz | Aktuálně.cz". 17 October 2016.
  3. Lazarová, Daniela (2016-06-23). "Controversy over D8 highway landslide". Radio Prague. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  4. Fraňková, Ruth (2016-12-18). "D8 motorway opens after years of delay". Radio Prague. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  5. Švihel, Petr (2017-06-14). "D8 byla slavně otevřena, ale stále nezvládne plný provoz. Kdy to skončí?" (in Czech). Seznam Zprávy. Archived from the original on 2017-06-14. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  6. "Nová část D8 přes České středohoří je poprvé průjezdná bez omezení" (in Czech). ČT24. 2017-09-20. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
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