Another section of the X1 D1 X1 motorway, between Lipník nad Bečvou
(map) and Bělotín
(map), was completed at the end of 2009 in the Olomouc Region. The construction work was commenced in December 2004 and completed in November 2009. The six-lane motorway section, which provides drivers with maximum comfort during their journey, is 16 kilometres long and cost over 8 billion crowns. The section includes 4 grade-separated junctions and 25 bridges. Anti-noise barriers of up to a length of 7 kilometres have been built on the stretches near housing development.
Another widening of the D1 motorway took place at the beginning of December 2010, when a new 18.5 km section of the motorway was put into operation, between the towns of Kroměříž and Otrokovice in the Zlín District. The new section comprises of 5 km of the D1 motorway and 13.5 km of the R55 expressway, which represents the connection of the town of Zlín and the Zlín Region with the domestic motorway network.
This section is part of the motorway network in Central Moravia, which after its completion will enable travelling in the following directions:
The extension of the D1 motorway from Hulín to Říkovice near Přerov is planned for June 2011.
The opening of this section is another important step towards creation of a complete motorway linkage between the largest Czech cities – Prague, Brno and Ostrava – and also a connection to the Polish A1 motorway by Bohumín. This motorway should achieve a total length of 377 km and will form a backbone transport route across the Czech Republic, which will enable connection of the Ostrava industrial agglomeration to the domestic transport grid.
From the international aspect, after the remaining section between Brno and Ostrava has been completed, this part of the motorway will be integrated into the trans-European route in the North – South direction, linking Poland and Austria.