Opponents of D35 highway's northern route through Bohemian Paradise demand southern alternative

Opponents of routing the D35 motorway through the Bohemian Paradise (Český ráj) nature reserve have called on authorities to abandon the so-called northern route and choose an alternative southern option instead. The statement was made by Piňos, a representative of the protesters, who described Bohemian Paradise as the country's most valuable national landscape.

According to him, there is no legitimate public interest that would justify running a motorway straight through the heart of the reserve. "The absolutely dominant interest here is nature conservation, landscape protection and recreational use of the area — not the creation of a new transport corridor stretching across the whole of Czechia, potentially linking into the international motorway network and carrying heavy traffic," he stressed.

Southern route would save tens of billions

According to Piňos's estimate, the southern route would save tens of billions of crowns. It is also technically easier to build and would have the smallest possible negative impact on nature, the landscape, public health and the environment, the opponents' representative added.

The southern option would run the road along the I/16 and II/268 routes through Jičín, Sobotka and Mnichovo Hradiště, bypassing the heart of the protected Bohemian Paradise area. However, this would lengthen the route from Jičín to Liberec and increase traffic load on the D10 motorway. In addition, this option does not resolve the question of connecting the town of Semily.

A quarter century of debate

Discussions over the route and design of road I/35, meant to divert traffic away from towns and villages and improve connections between the Liberec and Hradec Králové regions, have now been going on for a quarter of a century. The planned northern route, 35 kilometres long including an access road to Semily, is already fixed in the territorial planning documents of both regions.

Construction, estimated at around 30 billion crowns, was due to begin in 2029. However, former Environment Minister Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL), on his very last day in office last December, revoked the positive environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the project. As a result, the environmental impact must now be assessed all over again.

"The purpose of this appeal is not to block construction of the D35 motorway. On the contrary, accepting our demands would allow the road to be built faster, more carefully, more safely and more economically," Piňos said. In his view, the northern route is unfeasible due to numerous serious obstacles, and further preparation of this variant should not continue. According to the opponents' representative, continuing to work on this option would simply waste public funds and would ultimately delay construction even further because of lawsuits and public opposition.

Around Prague, based on reporting by ekolist.cz