Ecologists have classified R52 as one of Europe's nonsensical constructions

Brno - The project for the construction of the expressway R52 from Brno to Vienna has been placed by environmentalists in the third position out of 50 of the most nonsensical projects in Europe, which are seeking financial support from the union. The communication, costing ten billion crowns, is expected to be built by 2014. Its construction is being pushed by the South Moravian Region and the Road and Motorways Directorate (ŘSD). Environmentalists are opposed. The intent was proposed by environmentalists from the Hnutí Duha (Rainbow Movement) as part of a list of nonsensical constructions.
    "We presented the R52 project today in Brussels. It was placed at the top of the ranking by members of the environmental organizations Friends of the Earth and CEE Bankwatch Network," said Pavel Přibyl to ČTK.
    The top position was taken by the plan to build nine incinerators in Poland, and second was the plan for the construction of the Via Baltica highway, which is supposed to cut through areas of natural value. Environmentalists consider the projects on the list not only controversial but also completely unnecessary. Their construction would require an investment of 550 billion crowns.
    The plan for the construction of R52 is among the most controversial projects in Moravia. The plans of the South Moravian Region and the ŘSD have been criticized not only by the European Commission but also by the Ombudsman Otakar Motejl.
    Concerns have been raised that only one option for the future main route Brno-Vienna has been considered so far. It is supposed to follow the current route through Mikulov. This would mean widening the road that crosses the waterworks at Nové Mlýny in the Břeclav region and directing heavy traffic very close to the Protected Landscape Area of Pálava and other areas of significant natural value.
    Last September, the government tasked the Ministry of Transport to create a commission with the Ministry of the Environment to evaluate the alternative proposed by environmentalists. According to available information, the commission has not yet been established. Environmentalists want the route to follow the existing D2 motorway. Near Břeclav, it would then suffice to build a city bypass and bring traffic from the motorway to the border with Austria.
    Environmentalists point out that this option is more environmentally friendly and additionally more acceptable from the perspective of nature conservation. However, the region disagrees and claims the exact opposite. "According to the results of the latest feasibility study commissioned by the ŘSD, which is necessary for the potential evaluation of both options, it turns out that the route through Břeclav is much worse than the original option through Mikulov. It is not true that it will cost less; on the contrary, the estimated costs are about one to two billion higher," said South Moravian councilor Anna Procházková to ČTK today.
    According to the study, the road would also have to intersect the Lednice-Valtice area, which has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1997. "The route would have to cross the Dyje River and a pair of railway lines leading from Břeclav to Vienna and Bratislava using bridge viaducts and embankments up to 15 or 20 meters high," Procházková said.
    Therefore, according to Procházková, a study that would compare both options is unnecessary, and the region will attempt in the coming months to convince the European commissioners in Brussels not to insist on it.