SaS: Transport Ministry Sidelines Road-building Priorities

Kosice/Bratislava, 3 June (TASR) - The opposition's Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party criticises an updated schedule for the preparation and construction of road infrastructure projects presented by the Transport Ministry, arguing that it contradicts the ministry's own priorities set in 2020. In response, the ministry declared that the schedule is not a ranking of construction priorities and that the priorities themselves have remained unchanged for years. Speaking at a press conference, SaS transport expert Peter Bathory pointed out that a road infrastructure priorities document was drawn up in 2020 in cooperation with the Value for Money Unit, ranking individual projects on the basis of expertise-informed criteria. Bathory pointed to three sections of the D1 motorway in eastern Slovakia — Dargov-Pozdisovce, Pozdisovce-Sobrance and Bidovce-Dargov — noting that under the new schedule their construction is planned only after 2032. "The ministry has postponed three projects from the top 15, while bringing forward sections that were originally ranked 74th, 86th, 89th and 92nd. If the state sets priorities and then ignores them, the whole system loses its meaning. Planning is then no longer based on Slovakia's needs, but on short-term political decisions," warned Bathory. He also questioned the financing of the proposed schedule, pointing out that the total value of all planned projects amounts to around €20 billion. "The ministry is counting on investments exceeding €2 billion annually. After three fiscal consolidation packages, record state indebtedness and a situation in which we are unable to fully utilise EU funds, it is entirely legitimate to ask where the government intends to find this money," he said. According to SaS chairman for the Kosice region Peter Cech, the issue is not limited to a single motorway, region or construction project. "We want to discuss whether Slovakia has a long-term transport infrastructure development plan at all, and whether the state follows its own priorities or whether they change depending on who happens to occupy the minister's chair," he said. In its reply to TASR, the Transport Ministry stated that the schedule is not a ranking of priorities but rather a timetable reflecting the current stage of preparation of individual projects and estimating their progress over time. "The priorities have remained unchanged for years: the D1 Bratislava-Kosice motorway, the D3 motorway and the R4 expressway," ministry spokesperson Petra Polacikova said. She noted that EU funds are currently being used to finance the entire D3 motorway as well as several bypasses on first-class roads, including Sala, Sabinov, Prievidza and Stropkov. "Some sections, such as the northern bypass of Presov, are partially financed from other European sources. As the EU no longer plans to finance roads through traditional cohesion funds in the future, the majority of projects will have to be funded from the state budget, while other financing options from alternative sources will also be explored," she said. According to the ministry, the schedule is based on long-term strategic priorities but must also take into account the level of progress already achieved on individual projects. "We cannot wait until preparations for priority projects that are still in the early stages, such as the D1 extension towards Ukraine, are completed and do nothing in the meantime," the spokesperson added. mf