Prague will purchase land for 110 million CZK for a green belt along the ring road

Prague – The Prague City Hall will purchase land from private owners in Běchovice necessary for the construction of the so-called green belt along the planned section of the Prague Ring Road designated as 511 between the D1 and Hradec Králové highways. The city will acquire approximately 116,496 m² and will pay about 109.5 million crowns for it. Today's decision was communicated to ČTK by Deputy Mayor Adam Scheinherr (Praha Sobě). It is unclear when the completion of the ring road will begin. The state is the investor through the Road and Motorway Directorate (ŘSD).

"Last year we promised that this year there would be the first results of land acquisitions for future green belts. With today's council decision, we have approved the purchase of more than 116,000 m². Now that we have a green wall where to plant, we will start working on its documentation," Scheinherr stated.

The city leadership is now considering the option of using material excavated during the construction of Metro D from Pankrác to Písnice or the city ring road from Pelc-Tyrolka to Štěrbohol for planting. "Trucks would not have to travel from 50 to 80 kilometers away. We would save the city budget on deposition fees and help the environment," Scheinherr noted.

Of the total area of land that the city will purchase, 77,930 m² is owned by Xaverov trade and 38,566 m² belongs to Agrotrade. The price of the purchased land and parts of the land is 109.46 million crowns. After acquiring the land, the city will start work on the valuation project.

It is unclear when the construction of the mentioned section of the Prague Ring Road will begin. The construction received a positive opinion in 2019 during the environmental impact assessment. "Since then, nothing has happened with 511. Not one piece of land has been acquired, the construction does not have a zoning decision, and all of Prague is suffering from it. Heavy transit traffic must have the opportunity to bypass Prague. Not to enter it, leave behind polluted air in the wider center of the city, and then continue on," Scheinherr stated. According to him, the capital is assisting the ŘSD in preparing the construction as per a previous agreement.

The 511 section measures over 12 kilometers and plans for four grade-separated intersections. The project, which will connect both highways, also includes two tunnels. The entire Prague Ring Road measures about 80 kilometers, and currently, only about half of it is in operation.