Prague - Czech drivers this year will be able to enjoy seven new motorways and high-speed roads, totalling 53 km. The longest segments will open in autumn, connecting the D1 between Olomouc and Ostrava.

"The year 2009 will be key for the D1," said Martina Vápeníková, spokeswoman for the The Road and Motorway Directorate of the Czech Republic. In November three segments totalling 34.4 km will open on this important connection.

The construction of Prague's ring road should also make some advances this year. And by the spring of 2010, Brno's D1 and Plzeň's D5 should be connected.

The highway network has doubled in the last 20 years

The highway network has doubled in the last 20 years. In 1989 drivers had 544 km of motorways and high-speed roads at their disposal; now they will have 1,056 km.

"The biggest advances were made in the last two years, when 136 km of new motorways and high-speed roads were added," said Vápeníková.

Once the project is complete, the network of four-lane motorways should total approximately 2,100 km.

The most important initiatives will include the already-mentioned D1 motorway in northern Moravia, the D3 leading from Prague through České Budějovice to the Austrian border, Prague's ring road and the D8 from Prague through Ústí nad Labem to the German border.

"High-speed roads are also important, for example the R35 between Hradec Králové and Olomouc, the R6 to Karlovy Vary, the R7 to Chomutov, as well as several others," said Alfred Brunclík, director of the Motorway Directorate of the Czech Republic.

106 km in 13 locations

In the last year, construction of 13 segments, totalling 106 km, has begun. The longest continuous four-lane motorway is the D3, now being built in southern Bohemia, connecting Tábor and Veselí nad Lužnicí and totalling 25 km.

An already-begun high-speed road from Hulín to Fryšták, totalling more than 17 km and the D1 from Kroměříž to Říkovice, totalling around 11 km.

In the Karlovy Vary region there is also the ongoing construction of the high-speed road R6. Its part from Prague to Pavlov was opened several days before the end of the year.

Projects completed in 2008:

Motorways:
D 1 Bílovec - Ostrava Rudná 6 May 2008
D 1 Kojetín - Kroměříž východ 23 September 2008
D 1 Lipník nad Bečvou - Bělotín 25 November 2008
D 11 Libišany - Praskačka 15 December 2008

High-speed roads:
R 6 Praha - Pavlov 19 December 2008
R48 D1 - Bělotín 25 November 2008

Projects to be completed in 2009:

Motorways:
D 1 Mořice - Kojetín 2nd phase 1 November 2009
D 1 Bělotín - Hladké Životice 1 November 2009
D 1 Hladké Životice - Bílovec 1 November 2009

High-speed roads:
R 6 Tisová - Kamenný Dvůr 1 September 2009
R 7 MUK Vysočany 1 September 2009
R 7 Bítozeves - Vysočany 1 September 2009
R 35 Sedlice - Opatovice 1 November 2009