Pardubice Region wants to erase the Danube - Odra - Elbe canal from the principles of territorial development

Pardubice - The Pardubice Region wants to abolish the corridor reserved for the Danube-Odra-Elbe (DOL) shipping canal in the principles of territorial development of the region, which is analogous to a land use plan. Thanks to the government's decision, the so-called land reserve will vanish, allowing municipalities to manage land that was previously designated only for the construction of the canal. The changes in the principles of territorial development will also specify the route of the feeder road to the D35 highway around Vysoké Mýto and Choceň, the regional authority stated in a press release.

Municipalities along the planned route will have room for further development. A large amount of land that was restricted by the protective zone will be unlocked. The corridor was defined in locations that are suitable for other uses, such as residential or individual construction. This concerns, for example, Česká Třebová or the village of Rybník in the Orlickoústecko region, and to a lesser extent Třebovice or Damníkova.

The DOL canal was intended to connect the Baltic and the Black Sea via waterways, shortening the journey between them for both cargo and passenger ships. The plan included multiple locks to enable the artificial channel to traverse the undulating landscape with higher altitudes, especially at the border of Bohemia and Moravia. Critics of the canal's construction argued that it would not be profitable, deemed it megalomaniac, and pointed out its negative impacts on the landscape and water regime in the country. The corridor would also, according to them, destroy the remnants of relatively natural ecosystems in Central Europe. Conversely, proponents, including former President Miloš Zeman, argued that it would bring new economic opportunities, aid the struggling shipping industry in the Czech Republic, and enable better water management. The government abolished the territorial reserves for the water corridor last February.

However, the Pardubice Region still supports the navigability of the Elbe River up to Pardubice. In addition to the Přelouč lock, the modernization of the Srnojedy lock in Pardubice and the construction of a port in Pardubice would be necessary. According to previous data, the construction of the nearly 3.2-kilometer-long canal would cost more than three billion crowns. The feasibility and cost-effectiveness of the shipping canal was questioned by the Supreme Audit Office in 2009.

The change in the principles of territorial development will be approved by regional representatives on June 25. The document will also include the route for the rerouting of road II/312 Vysoké Mýto – Choceň – České Libchavy. It will create one of the feeders to the planned D35 highway.