Czech minister Tok warns Eurovia to speed up D1 bridge repairs

The Czech transport minister has given construction firm 3281 Eurovia until April to start repairs on two bridges it built or face having its bank guarantees withdrawn.

Transport Minister Dan Tok, who until December was the chief executive of 2296 Skanska in the Czech Republic, said he would call for a new tender for the repairs if no action is taken by Eurovia, according to a report by the Czech internet news portal iDNES.

Tok said that the road bridges constructed six years ago on the D1 motorway slip road in Ostrava-Privoz are in a critical condition and need immediate repair work.

Ťok gave his warning during a television interview, according to the publication CIJ Journal. The bridges are suffering from cracks and shifting beams and trucks have been banned from the structures since September. Cars can cross the bridges, but at reduced speed. The government has been fighting with Eurovia over the 9 km section of the D47 motorway near Ostrava since 2011, CIJ Journal reported.

Appointment initially caused concern over conflict of interest, with Skanska being a major player in infrastructure work in the Czech Republic. But the prime minister made the decision, based on Tok’s good reputation as a man who actively fights for greater transparency in public procurement.

Tok had been chief executive of Skanska’s subsidiary since February 2008 and has held senior management positions in the Czech subsidiaries of 4010 ABB, Alstom and German gas firm 3994 RWE. His warning to Eurovia comes at a time of increasing concern about the condition of Europe’s highway infrastructure, an issue that will be the focus of the Pavement Preservation and Recycling Summit in Paris next month.
 
%$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 2 20093 0 oLinkExternal Transport concerns voiced by many road users Visit WH Web Page false /sections/general/news/pprs-event-road-users-concerns-at-the-heart-of-the-programme/ false false%> will be at the heart of the debates at the PPRS event from February 22-25. “Insufficient maintenance has created a backlog and is affecting service levels,” said Jean-Francois Corte, secretary general of the World Road Association (3141 PIARC), based in Paris. “What’s needed right now is at least a medium-term vision to embrace the right type of maintenance, a strong strategy.”

Road users’ associations, key companies and government organisations will discuss issues surrounding levels of service and financial commitments required to address road quality, environmental impact and mobility issues. Importantly, attendees will learn how, during these austere times, to put the business case forward to ensure more investment is there when and where it is needed.

A recent publication by PIARC, called The Importance of Road Maintenance, is %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal available as a free download Visit piarc web page false http://www.piarc.org/en/publications/technical-reports/ false false%> on the PIARC website. To find out more about the three-day PPRS 2015 event and register, please visit the official 7924 PPRS 2015 website.

In early December, Eurovia announced it had completed upgrades to section 5 of the D1 between the exits for Šternov and Psáře in the middle of the country. This is the first section to be completed in both directions and on which all traffic restrictions have been lifted.

Eurovia was founded in 1997 and is the transport infrastructure subsidiary within the France-based 2498 VINCI Group. The latest revenue figure for Eurovia is US$10.14 billion, accounting for close to a quarter of VINCI total revenue. Eurovia operates in 16 countries and generates 61% of its revenues in France, 17% in Western Europe, 10% in Central Europe, 11% in the Americas and 1% in Asia.