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December 1st, 2008
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Ring road project divides Prague officials

Highway extension plans pit ministry, mayors against city

By James Scanlon
For The Prague Post
October 1st, 2008 issue

Ring road arguments

The southern variant of the ring road, approved by City Hall, cuts through three boroughs on Prague's periphery ? Suchdol, Lysolaje and Dolní Chabry ? as a northwest highway extension completing a circular expressway around the city

Pros:
The project is backed by European Union funding
Significantly shorter distance than the northern variant
Cons:
May damage protected nature preserves
Would run through heavily populated areas

The northern variant, approved by the Environment Ministry, traverses the region north of the city, crossing the Větrušická rokle nature preserve

Pros:
About 10 million Kč cheaper than the southern variant
Will take less time to build
More environmentally friendly
Cons:
Longer distance
Proximity to Nuclear Research Institute in Řež poses potential safety hazard
Commuters may have to wait a bit longer for the Prague ring road as plans for the northwest section of the ring create rifts between a number of government bodies.
On Sept. 29, as citizen protesters made a showing at the Regional Development Ministry, the mayors of three Prague municipalities launched an appeal against City Hall’s proposed route.
“We are determined to make use of all legal instruments, even on an international level, to achieve justice,” said Petr Hejl, mayor of Suchdol, a Prague borough set to be crossed by the proposed road. “Firstly, we will appeal to the Regional Development Ministry, then to the Municipal Court of Prague, and, if still not successful, we will approach the Supreme Court in Brno.”
At issue is a proposed route in the northwest section of the highway, completing a circular road around the city. A special planning decision by City Hall in late August opted for a southern route in this section, routing the project through the inhabited boroughs of Suchdol, Dolní Chabry and Lysolaje.
While City Hall and the Transportation Ministry have long preferred this option, arguing that European Union funds for the project as part of the Trans-European Network were to be utilized for a motorway within the city, the decision contravenes the advice of the Environment Ministry.
The alternative is a more northerly path for the road, passing through the Větrušická rokle nature preserve and close to the Nuclear Research Institute in Řež.
The Environment Ministry views City Hall’s decision as illegal, alleging that it breaches three conditions of its 2002 Environment Impact Assessment (EIA).
“I’m very sorry that City Hall, in preparation for its decision, didn’t respect the documentation and position of the EIA,” said Environment Minister Martin Bursík.
Although not legally binding in the planning and building stages, the EIA requires City Hall to explain why any of the assessment’s requirements could not be met. Ministry spokesman Jakub Kašpar said, “This hasn’t been done.”
According to Kašpar, neither option in the EIA is perfect, but the northern variant would have less of an environmental impact on human health. Further to this, an analysis undertaken by engineering consultancy Mott McDonald for the Transportation Ministry revealed that the southern route, although shorter, would in effect cost 20 billion Kč ($1.2 billion), compared with only 10 billion Kč for the northern path. The southern variant would also involve the construction of two tunnels and one bridge over the protected nature reserve of Drahanské údolí.
“This decision is incorrect and unlawful and based on incomplete, confused and partially invalid and biased documentation. The rights of the public and the communities as participants of the administrative process have been heavily violated and ignored,” Hejl said. “City Hall has not acted as an independent expert body committed to respecting all relevant laws, norms and the principle of equality of all participants, but took the decision under huge pressure from its political leadership.”
There is additional opposition to the southern route. The municipality of Dolní Chabry says the precise tracking of the highway is different now than in the original plans. A planned tunnel in Suchdol is said to fall short, and, as a result, end in inhabited areas. Additional opposition comes over the length of the proposed tunnel at Rybářka, and a related chimney for ventilation said to be too close to households.
In Suchdol, residents have signed a petition and held demonstrations against the proposed plan. In a recent documentary on Czech Television, locals made their feelings heard with remarks like, “It’s against common sense,” and, “We’ve heard there will be loads of cars from Germany and all around Europe using the road. No one can agree to that.”
Hejl says the northern option “ensures smooth running of traffic without conflicts on the ring road and on the urban network of roads. It doesn’t cut through any residential areas and causes a minimal clash with protected nature areas and other environmental interests explicitly recommended in the EIA process.”
Adding to the confusion of the ongoing dispute are groups against the northern route for the road.
Deputy Transportation Minister Jiří Hodač says the northern route is impossible, as it passes too close to the Nuclear Research Institute, a position he says is shared by the State Office for Nuclear Safety (SÚJB). However, when approached about this, SÚJB Chairwoman Dana Drábová said, “We haven’t got sufficient information yet to make a final statement concerning the acceptability of risk of the proposed road in relation to nuclear safety.”
City Hall has responded by saying that it has acted completely in accordance with the law.
According to spokesman Rudolf Dobiáš, no suitable alternative exists as yet to the southern variant, and postponement at this point means it could be years before the road is eventually built.

James Scanlon can be reached at news@praguepost.com


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