The Czech Road and Motorway Directorate (ŘSD) confirmed that radiation readings taken from three spoil heaps along a 300-metre stretch of the route showed concentrations up to 15 times the acceptable limit.
Radek Mátl, ŘSD’s Director General, said via social media that the heightened radiation could pose health risks to workers on site.
Na stavbě D11 Trutnov – st. hranice ČR/PLR došlo ke zjištění, že na třech haldách se objevuje zvýšená koncetrace přírodních radionuklidů, což by potenciálně mohlo ohrozit zdraví osob přítomných na stavbě. Z toho důvodu byly práce v těchto lokalitách zastaveny (cca 300m trasy). pic.twitter.com/ZOol2bSpOM
— Radek Mátl (@MatlRadek) May 22, 2025
Local authorities believe the source may be radon trapped in ash from a former power plant, used to form the waste heaps.
The Czech State Office for Nuclear Safety will dispatch experts to the site on Friday to carry out more detailed measurements.
Strategic link with Poland delayed
The halted section forms part of a high-priority transport link between the Czech Republic and Poland. Once completed, the D11 motorway will connect with Poland’s S3 expressway, creating a vital cross-border route.
Work on the border section of the D11 began almost a year behind schedule. Originally launched in 1978, the D11 is one of the Czech Republic’s longest-running road projects.
Of the planned 154 kilometres between Prague and the Polish border, 113 kilometres have been completed. Full completion is expected in no less than three years.
Radioaktywne hałdy tuż przy polskiej granicy. Ważna budowa wstrzymana https://t.co/aFt1BmlPJC
— Gospodarka – Polskie Radio (@Gospodarka_PRSA) May 23, 2025
(mp)
Surce: PR24/X/@MatlRadek