On Thursday, the Czechs suspended construction works on the 300-meter section of the D11 motorway from Trutnov to the border with Poland. According to the Czech Directorate for Roads and Motorways along the route, an increased level of radioactivity was found, which can threaten health. It is most likely associated with the ash from the former Trutnov power plant.
Spokesman for the Directorate of Roads and Motorways (RASD) Jan Rydl said that some soil samples showed Radioactivity up to 15 times higher than normal. He informed about the suspension of construction works, which – according to the management – should be temporary.
According to the mayor of Trutnov Michał Rosa on the heaps along the road there is ash from coal, burned in the past in the power plant near the city. The history of the power plant dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. Carbon contained a heavy radon element.
“This is a well -known thing in the Trutnov region,” said the mayor. He admitted that he was surprised that it was discovered only now. “The case could be verified in advance because the data was available,” he said.
The D11 motorway is being built in the Czech Republic.Shutterstock
Radioactivity on the construction of the D11 motorway
The mayor expressed the fear that the problem of radioactivity would delay the construction of the highway. – We hope that RSD can handle it quickly and construction will continue. As a city, we can't do anything about it – said the mayor. The contaminated soil is located outside the inhabited area and outside the area where people usually move.
The 21-kilometer section from Trutnov to the border from Poland, where it is to connect with the S 3 route, as planned, it is to be put into use in the spring of 2028. Construction was in the past delayed by disputes regarding the resolution of the tender.
Source of the main photo: Shutterstock