D1 motorway renovation to start in March 2013

An extensive renovation of the D1 motorway connecting Prague, Brno and Ostrava should start in March 2013, Transport Minister Pavel Dobeš said on Wednesday. The modernization of the oldest Czech motorway, built in the 1970s and 80s, should be completed in 2018 at the cost of 150 million crowns per kilometre. The most demanding part of the project will involve the demolition of two road bridges which will mean that between 40,000 to 60,000 vehicles will be pushed into a single lane. By 2050, another lane should be added to the D1 motorway in each direction.