Select a country of interest on the map

BULGARIA

Struma motorway through Kresna Gorge

The motorway endangers the Kresna Gorge, a unique valley in southwestern Bulgaria that is home to an extraordinarily high number of endemic and rare protected species like otter, tortoise, leopard snake and 17 bat species.
An alternative solution that would avoid the gorge has not been pursued even though the 2007 environmental impact assessment recommended this. Other planned sections of the motorway have breached EU NATURA 2000 environmental legislation.

Ljulin motorway

The 19 kilometre Sofia – Pernik motorway, at nearly EUR 10 million per kilometre, is one of the most expensive roads in the EU, but its impact on traffic alleviation is suspect at best and even the Bulgarian government acknowledges that traffic will continue to grow. The existing bottlenecks on access roads leading to the motorway cross densely populated areas and bring noise, pollution and more traffic, causing local communities to protest.

CZECH REPUBLIC

Prague – České Budějovice motorway/expressway connection (D3 and R4)

The R4 expressway via Písek has been discussed and under piecemeal construction since the 1970s and could provide the missing link if extended further south to České Budějovice. The longer and similar D3 route via Tábor has also been under construction since the late 1990s, in spite of no clear economic justification and severe clashes with protected nature areas in the Prague vicinity. Czech transport authorities are however investing in both routes.

D8 motorway, section 0805

Constructing the remaining 16.4 kilometres on the Prague-Dresden motorway would pass through the protected landscape area of České Středohoří, which Alexander von Humboldt once referred to as “the third most beautiful view in the world”.

R55 expressway

The 10-kilometre section between Olomouc and Břeclav would cross a NATURA 2000 site and endanger protected bird habitats. A tunnel variant is under consideration, but this would cost nearly three times more than the alternative proposal that would also bypass the NATURA 2000 area.

Prague expressway ringroad R1 - NW sections

The southern variant for Prague’s ring road has received official backing, even though it would cut through residential and protected natural areas and recreational sites, while increasing heavy transit traffic through the city and more frequent traffic jams. This variant is more complex with tunnels and bridges, costing the city exhorbitantly and creating safety hazards. By contrast, the northern alternative that bypasses urban areas is clearly recommended in the environmental impact assessment and costs at least EUR 165 million less. Nevertheless the Ministry of Transport is still pursuing the southern variant and considers avoiding EU funding for the most problematic parts of the project.

R35 expressway

This controverisal 30 kilometre section of expressway between Turnov and Úlibice near Opatovice nad Labem is part of the 2010 regional strategy and would potentially cut the unique “Czech Paradise” UNESCO-protected landscape. The costs of the Opatovice crossing have also risen unreasonably high and are under question by the Commission.

R52 expressway

The project includes 20 kilometres of new expressway and repairing an existing 10 between Brno and Vienna.This section would adversely affect three NATURA 2000 sites and several unique Moravian landscapes, including the Pálava UNESCO biospheric reserve and the Lednice-Valtice cultural complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

ESTONIA

Tallinn–Tartu motorway, Kose-Võõbu-Mäo section

Set to be finished in 2016, a major stage of the Tallinn-Tartu motorway includes two 45-kilometre sections that are planned through both forests and wetlands. Moreover the justification for the project is weak, as traffic intensity is relatively low.

MACEDONIA

Demir Kapija – Smokvica motorway

The 32-kilometre motorway section between Demir Kapija and Smokvica will be constructed in a pristine forested area and built near the protected Demir Kapija gorge, rich in many endemic and rare animal and plant species. The gorge is one of the richest ornithological reserves in Europe, and the project would damage many habitats and ecological corridors, including brown bear migration corridors. Restoration efforts are ambiguous and do not guarantee appropriate compensation.

POLAND

S3 expressway Szczecin–Gorzów

This 81-kilometre expressway is an exemplary case of disregard for EU environmental law. Having damaged NATURA 2000 habitats and facing action from the Commission, Polish authorities applied for a new environmental decision that included compensation measures and new NATURA 2000 sites elsewhere. However this decision is not yet in place, meaning that construction is operating without valid permission. Also this does address the absence of proper alternative assessments as required by the Habitats directive.

S19 expressway

The proposed ‘Via Carpatia’ expressway in eastern Poland will cross a particularly rich region of natural areas and several NATURA 2000 sites. Any new section of ‘Via Carpatia’ should be carefully assessed for its impact on ecosystems and ecological corridors and, as in the case of Via Baltica, sound analyses should be the basis for alternative routes.

SLOVAKIA

D1 Highway, section Turany–Hubová

This section of the D1 motorway passes through an area mostly covered by NATURA 2000 sites. In spite of recommendations in the environmental impact assessment, the more destructive route was selected, jeopardising also several communities living near the construction. NGOs, experts and the Commission have all raised concerns about the project.

Extension of R1 motorway from Banská Bystrica to Ružomberok

The planned 50-kilometre extension of the existing R1 motorway would damage one of the most precious natural areas in Slovakia – the two national parks at Veľká Fatra and Nízke Tatry. While supposedly satisfying the regions’ transport needs, the motorway will in fact only increase transit traffic flows without benefitting local populations.