Construction Begins on Longest of D3 Motorway's Missing Sections

Zilina, 26 January (TASR) - The tapping of the foundation stone on Monday symbolically marked the start of construction work on the longest of the three missing sections of the D3 motorway in the Kysuce area of Zilina region. Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) attended the ceremony along with Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee). The section between the Zilina borough of Brodno and the town of Kysucke Nove Mesto has a total length of 11.2 kilometres, and, according to the signed contract, the work should take 1,307 days. According to Fico, Zilina region plays a very important role in central European transport. "There is probably no need to explain how important the connection from north to south is. Such a connection is vital not only for the people living in this region, but also for the whole of Slovakia and Europe," stressed Fico. In the public tender for the construction of the Zilina, Brodno-Kysucke Nove Mesto D3-motorway section, the most advantageous bid was submitted by a consortium of three construction companies led by Vahostav, which along with Metrostav DS and Duna Aszfalt, undertook to build the project for €398.7 million, ex-VAT. "It's the longest section on the D3, but also the most expensive. At the same time, it's brought us the greatest savings in terms of public procurement. In this case, we're talking about a price of almost €400 million, but when compared to the original estimated value, it went down by as much as €110 million," noted Raz. The Zilina, Brodno-Kysucke Nove Mesto stretch is one of three missing sections of the D3 motorway, the others being Oscadnica-Cadca, Bukov 2nd half-profile, and Kysucke Nove Mesto-Oscadnica. When the sections are completed, the motorway network in Kysuce will have been extended by 26 kilometres. The work to complete the D3 is being 85-percent financed via EU funds, with the rest coming from the state budget. The total value of the three contracts slightly exceeds €890 million. am/df