“We don’t want brutal bridging here.” People commented on the construction of the D52 highway

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The town hall in Pohořelice is about half full. Eighty people are in impatient anticipation. They came to learn about the details of the highway that will lead past their threshing floors. They have the last chance to appeal to those who decide on the construction. Before a binding opinion is issued.

“We lack a highway connection with Austria, which is why the completion of the D52 is a key project for us. The priority is to start construction as soon as possible,” emphasizes Radek Mátl, general director of the Directorate of Roads and Highways (ŘSD), in the introduction.

Tomáš Vyhlídal, head of the road preparation section of the ŘSD, will present what the twenty-three-kilometer highway will look like. He divided D52 into three parts. The first will lead from Pohořelice to the Novomlýn reservoirs, and the current two-lane road will be largely rebuilt into a four-lane road.

“Here we assume that the implementation could start at the end of 2026,” states Tomáš Vyhlídal.

The middle section of the highway appears to be the most controversial, as it crosses the Novomlýn Reservoir. The designers propose two variants. A separate embankment that will partially run along the existing embankment, possibly parallel to it, or the construction of a flyover or bridge, which with a length of almost two and a half kilometers would become the longest bridge construction in our country.

Just a few not very specific EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) visualizations show how a possible flyover with 49 pillars would look in the landscape.

“We are waiting for the result of the EIA process, which will recommend the most suitable option. The estimated start date for implementation is 2028,” believes Tomáš Vyhlídal.

The third stage to the Austrian border is the longest, perhaps the most expensive, and the most complicated for builders. The two-lane road will be partially rebuilt into a four-lane one, the Mikulov bypass is planned, and the plan is to build 27 bridges, of which 14 will be directly on the highway.

The D52 motorway project has already undergone an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and passed. However, the study did not answer the question of how to bridge the Novomlýn reservoirs.

“From the point of view of the impact on the environment, both variants of the bridge are acceptable,” summarized EIA document editor Kateřina Hladká to those present in the hall.

Now the people in the hall are getting to speak, especially the mayors of the surrounding municipalities and businessmen. They have the last chance to have their say on the project before the final form is decided by the developer of the opponent’s EIA assessment or possibly by the Ministry of the Environment.

“We lack any rest for truck transport. When Austria closes the border, the trucks will be slowly coming to us,” complains the mayor of Pasohlávek, Martina Dominová. “They also come to us when they have a holiday in Austria, for example. Is that something to be reckoned with?” asks Ladislava Charvátová, the mayor of the neighboring village of Perná. “The trucks are already standing in our villages,” warns the mayor of Dolní Dunajovice, Josef Hasník, adding that it will certainly get worse after the highway is built.

They get a short and clear answer. There is no rest area as part of the D52 project. The director of the RSD mentions two main reasons.

“At the moment, obtaining a permit for a rest stop anywhere in the Czech Republic is often more complicated than obtaining a permit on the highway itself,” Radek Mátl refers to the existing legislation. And the second thing is usually resistance from the public, municipalities or land owners.

“It is also in our interest to build a rest area on D52, we just have to agree on that, because usually in those areas we come across the fact that everyone wants a rest area, but mainly that it should not be near them. To be with the neighbor. Therefore, if there is an offer from your side, we will be the first to invest funds in it, so that the rest area is created as soon as possible,” he asks the representatives of the municipalities for their cooperation.

Some of the mayors are asking for an accompanying road to be built around their villages, others want more noise walls because they don’t believe the results of the EIA study. Others fear an increase in traffic due to drivers refusing to pay a highway stamp or toll. But the biggest topic seems to be overcoming the Novomlýn reservoirs.

“This is madness. For me, it’s a brutal construction, I don’t have another word for it, and it shouldn’t have been implemented,” says Lukáš Vašíček, owner of the hotel in Pasohlávky, about the bridging option.

“I want the interests of southern Moravia to be taken into account, and that is the iconic views of Pálava. The bridge body will form a ten-meter concrete wall. From most points of view, it will look like a concrete plinth or a pedestal under the Pálava hills,” he believes.

Tomáš Ingr., the owner of the largest campsite near the Novomlýnská reservoir, feels the same way. “People come here mainly for the views. If you build a flyover there, you will completely degrade our territory,” he says to the people on the stage and receives applause from the hall.

“You make a decision based on some methodology, but we and our future generations will live with that decision. You invited us here to hear our opinion, we are telling you here and we rely on your sound judgment,” appeals the deputy mayor of Dolní Dunajovice, Miroslav Kovács.

After three hours, the public discussion of the environmental impact on the D52 highway is over.

“The most important thing is that there was no opposition to the highway itself. People said that they respect the highway, which is quite rare, I don’t come across that often,” praised director Radek Mátl after the meeting.

And the aforementioned opposition to the bridging of the Novomlýn Reservoirs?

“I don’t want to say our opinion and influence the process. However, we also have to look at the economic side, which is quite important. The flyover is significantly more expensive, and even its repair is something completely different from an embankment,” suggests Radek Mátl. But the decision is not up to him.

“The final opinion really depends on the assessment of the EIA and the Ministry of the Environment, maybe then the Ministry of Transport and the ŘSD. In any case, I estimate that the result could fall in the fall,” he adds for context.

The new D52 highway could, according to the assumption published in the presentation, be driven in 2031. However, not all people in the hall believe this.

“We know it,” an elderly man shakes his head as he leaves the town hall.

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