The event on Kbelská concerns the 3.9 kilometer long section between Novopacka and Cínovecká. The actual work after Wednesday’s main preparation will start the day after closing, that is, on Thursday after six in the morning.
Tow trucks will be on standby on each side of the section, which will intervene as soon as an accident occurs, which would completely paralyze the one-way traffic in the given direction.
“The towing will work so that the crews are able to intervene immediately from both directions. The goal is to quickly remove the obstacle of the narrowed profile and not let the columns grow to unmanageable dimensions,” said Barbora Lišková, spokeswoman for the Technical Communications Administration (TSK).
The fundamental importance of Kbelská lies in the fact that it fulfills the role of the provisional northeastern part of the City Ring Road and at the same time connects the key highway routes D8 and D10. Since this part of Prague still lacks a completed outer ring road, all transit and inner-city traffic flows here.
If everything goes according to plan, the complicated overhaul will last until mid-August. Thus, TSK planned the reconstruction for a period of 45 days together with the contractor association of companies Eurovia CZ, Strabag SIS and Porr.
“The criterion of forty-five days’ duration of the reconstruction is possible thanks to the fact that three of us joined together. Each individual could not offer such a strict deadline,” said Petr Tesař from Eurovia, according to which asphalt mixtures modified for extreme loads will be laid on the road.
“The reconstruction will start on the planned date and should end in mid-August so that there is sufficient time reserve,” added Jaromír Beránek (Piráti), Prague’s deputy for transport.
Modification of public transport
According to Filip Drápal, spokesman for Ropid, who is in charge of coordinating traffic in Prague, the management of public transport lines will also change. “In order to maintain the greatest possible flow and reliability of public transport, several measures will be taken in the northern part of the city, as it can be assumed that the traffic spill will be felt by drivers and passengers in the wider area,” said Drápal. In many places, dedicated lanes for buses will be marked, and in several cases there will also be modifications to the bus lines.
The transit Kbelská street connects the D8 highway in the north of the capital with the northeast of Prague and, together with Novopacka, effectively replaces the northern part of the Prague ring road between the D8 and D10 highways.
100 to 200 road workers will be working on the construction site in a continuous mode 24/7, i.e. also at night and on weekends, which may disturb Prague citizens living near Kbelská.
“Nearby is the densely populated Kytlická Street, and the Letňana part is home to residential development. I am afraid that people in these locations will have to endure the noise of the construction even during the night. Especially in the first few days, when the milling will be done, i.e. the damaged layers will be removed,” commented Prague 9 councilor for transport Tomáš Holeček (ODS).
Another traffic pain in Prague
In addition to Kbelská, the capital is struggling with other interventions in traffic. On Monday, July 13, the demanding reconstruction of the ceiling slab above the new hall of the Main Station will begin. According to the progress of the works, traffic on the North-South highway will always be maintained in a 2+2 lane mode.
Due to construction works, the stops of the airport express line and long-distance buses will be temporarily moved to Opletalova street. During the entire period of repairs, the parking lot above the check-in hall will be inaccessible.
In addition, the Directorate of Roads and Highways began in May with the reconstruction of two overpasses over the Prague Ring Road. The original bridges are being demolished and new ones will be built in their place. This is work necessary to expand the Prague Ring Road between Třebonice and Slivenč to six lanes. The planned expansion of the circuit would not fit under the current bridges.
In addition, the construction of the new Aviatická interchange at Václav Havel Airport in Prague has been underway since May. The investment worth almost 900 million crowns will fundamentally improve the connection to the D7 highway, the Prague Ring Road and the airport terminals. The commissioning of this intersection with eight ramps is planned for September 2027.
From Saturday, a large part of metro C will not run for seven days. “From Saturday, July 4 until the end of service on Friday, July 10, due to the modernization of the security equipment in the central part of line C, metro service in the section Kobylisa – Pražského povstání will be interrupted,” mentioned Drápal. Replacement transport will be provided by XC buses and tram line 2 extended from Nuslí to the Pražského povstání metro station and to Vozovná Pankrác.
