Another 6 km of the R7 high-speed road and a new interchange near Vysočany
With the opening of a segment from Bítozeves to Vysočany and the completion of the previously accident-plagued interchange in Vysočany, important progress has been made in increasing the capacity of the existing I/7 class I road in order to upgrade it to the R7 high-speed road from Prague to Chomutov.
The four-lane R7 has already been completed from Prague to Slaný. In recent years, half four-lane bypasses have been built on the I/7 road around towns from the border between Central Bohemia and the Ústí region – Panenský Týnec, Chlumčany, Louny, and Postoloprty. In line with government resolutions, highway I/7 will be upgraded from Slaný to Chomutov as high-speed road R7. In view of the difficult mountainous terrain from Chomutov to Hora Svatého Šebestiána and the disproportionately high costs for the construction of a high-speed road on this segment, here the I/7 was relayed as a two-lane highway with passing lanes on uphill and downhill grades.
One of the most important reasons for converting the I/7 into the R7 is to provide transport access to industrial zones near Most, Louny, and Postoloprty, and most importantly to the Triangle industrial zone near Žatec – one of the largest in the Czech Republic, built on the site of a former military airfields.
R7 Bitozeves interchange–Vysočany interchange
The main route consists of a 5.779-km long section of the I/7, converted into a four-lane road running along the border of strategic Triangle industrial zone. To the east, this section connects with the R7 from Postoloprty to Bitozeves (construction of which is underway), to the west with the Vysočany interchange. The entire length of the project makes use of the existing I/7 highway, with only minor changes in road elevation and the necessary widening, which is being performed to the north of the existing I/7. Construction did not interrupt traffic. First, the new right-hand half of the four-lane road was built, then traffic was shifted onto this part, after which the left-hand half of the four-lane road was built.
R7 Vysočany interchange
The figure-eight Vysočany interchange is located on the border between Chomutov and Louny counties, on the site of the existing at-grade intersection between the I/7 (Prague – Chomutov) and the I/27 (Most – Žatec) and immediately next to the strategic Triangle industrial zone. On the east, the interchange connects with the R7 Bitozeves – Vysočany project begun at the same time, and on the west it connects with the planned R7 Vysočany – Droužkovice project.
Construction of the Vysočany interchange included the conversion of 500 meters of the I/7 and relaying the I/27 along a new route 1,425 meters in length, with an overpass over the R7 high-speed road. Two small roundabouts have been constructed on the I/27 – one for connecting to the strategic Triangle industrial zone, the other for connecting a secondary road and a bus turnaround and bus stop. The project also required the relaying of utility lines, new vegetation and recultivation of the abandoned section of the I/27.
Both of the projects described above were co-financed by the European Union as part of the Operational Programme Transport, Priority 4 “Modernization of Class I Roads outside of TEN-T.”
Based on the latest approval protocols issued by the Ministry of Transport, the total amount of European Union financing for both projects amounts to 85% of qualified expenses.
The conversion of the I/7 highway and construction of the four-lane R7 high-speed road between Slaný and Chomutov has been divided into the following eleven construction segments: Slaný – border of region at Panenský Týnec (16.4 km), Panenský Týnec – increased-capacity bypass (3.6 km), Sulec – bypass (2.5 km), Chlumčany – increased capacity (4.4 km), Louny – increased-capacity bypass (6.9 km), Postoloprty – increased-capacity bypass (4.9 km), Postoloprty – Bitozeves (3.8 km), Bitozeves – Vysočany (5,4 km), Vysočany interchange (0.5 km),
Vysočany – Droužkovice (9.4 km), Droužkovice – Nové Spořice (6.4 km).
The total length of conversion amounts to 64.2 km, with total costs estimated at 20.588 billion crowns. The various segments are in various stages of planning and implementation.
Information on “R7 Bítozeves interchange – Vysočany interchange”
Location: Ústí nad Labem region
Length: 5,775 m
Price: CZK 654,913,326
Project commencement: 04/2008
Opening date: 10/2009
Information on “R7 Vysočany interchange”
Location: Ústí nad Labem region
Length: 500 m
Price: CZK 268,069,198
Project commencement: 03/2008
Opening date: 10/2009
Date: 02.10.2009
