The controversial R43 route is not approved in the Brno urban plan

Brno - The route of the R43 expressway, which runs through the densely populated northern part of the city of Brno, is not definitively approved in the zoning plan of the Brno agglomeration. In a letter to opponents of the construction, the Ministry for Regional Development stated this, said Martin Ander, deputy mayor of Brno, to ČTK today. Therefore, according to him, the alternative route through the Boskovice Basin, which bypasses Brno and connects to the D1 highway in the south, should also be reassessed.
    This ends a long-standing dispute between supporters and opponents of the R43 road route through the city of Brno. Responsible officials from the region and the city of Brno have misled and incorrectly informed citizens for several years, stated Petr Firbas, a representative of the civic association that received the letter from the ministry, to ČTK.
    "The deputy minister clearly states that the R43 route is not included in the zoning plan. The corridor of the road will therefore be decided only during the preparation of the Basic Principles of Spatial Development of the South Moravian Region. Without prejudice, the actual bypass of Brno for truck traffic through the Boskovice Basin must also be assessed,” said Ander.
    Brno city councilors approved last week a request to the region to include the R43 in its zoning plan in multiple variants. Regional councilor Anna Procházková (ODS) responsible for spatial planning stated that the regional representatives will decide on this, but she opposes such a demand.
    "I believe that the city council cannot dictate to us how we will decide on interregional routes," Procházková said to ČTK earlier.
    The region has already assessed the Boskovice Basin variant and claims that there is no point in further developing it, as it does not serve the required role. "It is not the most optimal variant from a transport point of view. And I assume that roads are here for cars to use," Procházková said.
    According to Ander, however, the previous evaluation was insufficient and regional representatives should see both variants at the same level of planning. Based on the materials, they could then make a decision, he believes.
    The R43 will be part of the new regional zoning plan, the so-called Basic Principles of Spatial Development. According to the new construction law, the region must have it by the end of 2009. The decision on whether engineers will prepare the document in two variants for the R43 is, according to Procházková, up to the representatives, and politicians are expected to vote on it in about a year.
    R43 is one of the most controversial transport constructions planned in South Moravia. It has many opponents in Brno, while municipalities and towns to the north of Brno are calling for its construction. Brno residents criticize the route through the city, among other things, for running through the Bystrc district. Supporters of the route counter that it will actually help Bystrc residents. It is supposed to run in a place where a four-lane road already exists today, only in a tunnel. Thus, a park or perhaps a new square could be created above it, argue supporters of the construction.
    According to plans from the Directorate of Highways and Roads, the expressway should be completed in 2013. However, the construction of its Brno section, which was to start as one of the first, is already delayed.