The Road and Motorway Directorate opens a new section of the I/57 road near Vsetín
The Road and Motorway Directorate of the Czech Republic (RSD) is placing into operation a new section of the I/57 road, which forms a spinal thoroughfare leading from the Polish border via Opava, Fulnek, Nový Jičín, Valašské Meziříčí and Vsetín to the Slovak border. It concerns the Semetín - Bystřička section, 1st construction. The main benefit of the road is for the local inhabitants since it diverts extremely heavy traffic away from populated areas.
The Valašské Meziříčí - Vsetín section, in which the mentioned construction is located, is the most heavily trafficked section of the entire route in the Vsetínská Bečva valley. The construction of the modern thoroughfare will have a great effect on the development of traffic in the area since it will become a new transport axis and, at the same time, will provide a connection to the R48 high-speed road and the D1 motorway. The "I/57 Semetín - Bystřička, 1st construction" project resolves one of the phases of the construction of the Valašské Meziříčí - Vsetín road in the Bystřička - Jablůnka section. The construction of the whole section will result in diverting traffic to the I/57 road beyond a built-up area.
The subsequent transfer of traffic to the high-speed road will markedly relieve the current road, and drivers will have available a high-capacity and safe road without traffic defects. "There are numerous defects at the present time. The inconvenient spatial arrangement of the current route has a negative impact on the traffic flow, reduces the possibility of overtaking, and thereby decreases the road's capacity," says the Chief Executive Officer of the RSD, Alfred Brunclík.
The route in the built-up areas of settlements, grade crossings of the railway and level crossings result in frequent formation of traffic jams. With regard to these facts, it is not possible to re-design the I/57 road in the current route. Transferring traffic to the new road will significantly improve the environment in the affected municipalities and also considerably decrease the accident rate.
The beginning of the section of the first construction is before the Ratiboř flyover with the overpass of the II/437 road. Here, there is a provisional connection to the current I/57 road in the direction of the railway crossing in Jablůnka and further on in the direction of Valašské Meziříčí. Within this construction, the by-pass of the II/437 road begins with a circus. The by-pass of the II/437 road from the circus bridges over a high-speed road, passes over the flood-prone area and connects with the current II/437 road just before the current bridge over the Vsetínská Bečva river.
Bus stops allowing for changing between the two directions are designed for the II/437 road and the connection of the current I/57 road. The Ratiboř flyover is number-eight-shaped, with all directions of turning available. The current I/57 road is connected to it too. The main route of the I/57 road crosses the Vsetínská Bečva river in two places and there is also a drainage channel between them. Another crossing, Semetín, will be at km 9.910, with the Semetín - Jablůnka road leading through the overpass. It is also a number-eight-shaped flyover.
In the area of Vsetín - Bobrk, the I/57 road is supplemented by a collector road on the right and a supporting road on the left. Both parallel roads allow for connection to the neighbouring industrial zone. Corresponding to this are the numerous slip-roads and connections. The supporting road is connected to the current III/05736 road leading to Vsetín. Here, there will be bus stops with interconnection and footways across the bridge in the direction of Semetín and the collector road. The supporting road will be classified as the II/437. The current I/57 in the direction of Jablůnka - a provisional slip-road - remains the I/57.
The current III/05734 road in the direction of Semetín, together with the overpass, will retain this number. The collector road, together with a part of the original III/05734 for connection of the overpass, will be a branch of the cross-roads of the I/57 road. At the end of the modification, the right lane of the new construction connects to the I/57 road to Vsetín, which is also designed as half of the future four-lane road.
The project was proposed for co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund within the Operational Programme Transport.
For an information leaflet, including a map of the construction, click here.
Project information
Project name: I/57 Semetín - Bystřička, 1st construction
Location: Zlín Region
Price, including VAT: CZK 1,239,976,144
Project commencement: 10/2005
Project completion: 06/2009
