2023-08-18 05:00:00
You said that the highway network could be completed within 10 years. Where do you get the belief that it will work?
“We are taking important steps in preparing a wider range of financial instruments. Buildings are being approved more quickly, and the Czech Republic will face the fact that it will have to secure financial resources. That is why we at the government decided to prepare other PPP projects. Three have now reached the next stage. It is the last section of the D35 between Opatovec and Mohelnica and on the fourth railway corridor the section Nemanice – Ševětín and the sections of the connection between Prague, the airport and Kladno. To this we add the initial phase of screening other PPP projects. We want to give a clear vision that in 10 years the key sections of highways will be completed, be it the D35, the Prague ring road or the connection to Vienna.”
PPP projects, i.e. financing with the help of private investors, have failed several times here. Does the state turn to them because they are faster and more efficient?
“It has a number of advantages and, of course, disadvantages, like everything in the world. We are based on experience from transport projects that were implemented mainly in Western Europe. The magic lies in the fact that the risks associated with each construction are spread between the private investor and the state. The person who realizes the construction, but also finances it and maintains it in daily mode for 25 years, and what the state pays him, is interested in building as quickly and with the highest quality as possible.”
Are you sure that the investor will meet exactly the requirements you want?
“The biggest motivation is with him himself, because he has to take care of the building for the next 25 years. If he causes complications with the construction, they will mainly fall on him. And at the end of that period, the investor must hand over the building in perfect condition to the state. Only then will his role in the entire process be concluded.”
Isn’t that too many strategic buildings in the hands of private investors?
“In fact, this is still only an additional part, most of the constructions will take place in the normal mode, when the investor organization is responsible for them. In the case of highways, the Directorate of Roads and Highways, in the case of railways, it is the Railway Administration.”
Are sections of highways being built or repaired so that they can be driven at the advised 150 km/h?
“The new sections will be like this. At the same time, I say that the key is that – as is the case everywhere to the west of us – it is possible to manage traffic better with modern telematics. So that, on the contrary, in a situation where visibility is impaired or there is more traffic, we can reduce the speed.”
Critics of the change say it will make driving more dangerous. There are already drivers who drive 150 km/h on 130. Aren’t you afraid that there will be 180 km/h later?
“I’m not worried about that. On the contrary, by allowing 150 in some sections, you also send a clear message that it is possible here, but not elsewhere. That 130 applies in the other sections. It is clear that there will not be a large number of those sections in the Czech Republic, even with regard to our terrain. But I also perceive that, together with modern brands, it will contribute to the modern form of transport in the Czech Republic, and I would have no fear that it should increase the danger on the highways.”
From March next year, the price of the year-round toll will increase by CZK 800 to CZK 2,300. How did you come up with this amount?
“The National Economic Council of the Government recommended that, taking into account the fact that the price of the highway toll has not changed for a long time, we reach somewhere around three thousand crowns. We tried to find some level that is also supported by the fact that if there was a gradual valorization of the highway stamp, we would be somewhere around the value of 2300-2400 crowns. At the same time, we were also looking for a level that would not be an insurmountable burden for Czech drivers. We believe that the sum of CZK 2,300, with this justification and at the same time with the fact that there will be a significant increase in highways next year, will be acceptable to the public.”
The price of the highway stamp is to be valued by inflation, that means that the full rate of inflation will be reflected in it?
“We assume that inflation in the coming years will no longer be burdened to such a significant degree. And that this will mean that the state will also have the funds to invest in the construction of highways.”
So the whole thing will be shown there?
“That inflation is on full display there.”
Is it still true that the valorization could also depend on the length of the highway network?
“It’s more about the change in how much the highway network can be expanded, but the increase there will really be relatively small.”
Will it be a price per kilometer or will it be a political decision?
“It is not a political decision. It is a clearly defined number and expresses the percentage increase in the number of kilometers compared to the basic highway network. So it can realistically range in the order of one percent.”
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