A new motorway between Prague and Linz cuts the drive from east Germany to the Adriatic.

The Berlin-Dalmatia express

A new motorway in the Czech Republic will plug an obvious gap in the central European road network.

Running the 150 miles north-south from Prague to Linz (Austria), the D3 will be especially handy for trips between eastern Germany and the Adriatic coast. It cuts the 730 mile Berlin-Rijeka drive to under 650 miles.

As well as being a popular destination for its tourists, many of whom drive there, Germany has long held sizeable business interests in Croatia and many other Balkan countries.

The new road will have the added benefit of linking České Budějovice – aka Budweis, the beer’s original home – to the fast road network for the first time.

Only 10 miles is motorway at present, around Tábor, fifty five miles south of Prague. Another twenty miles further south is under construction.

The European Commission has announced 50% funding for prep work on a new stage linking Budweis to the completed Tábor road.

The prep should be complete by April 2014 and final construction dates announced soon after. It will be a fair while before the entire route opens.

D3 is part of the 2,054 mile European route E55, from Helsingborg, Sweden, to southern Greece via central Europe and the Italian Adriatic coast. Just over 1,600 miles is motorway currently. Other gaps include the Italy/Austria border and in southern Italy.

Building on the first Czech motorways started in 1938. Citizens needed suitable roads to go with the cutting edge cars turned out by their car manufacturers. Look out for our upcoming feature on the country’s historic motorway network.

For information in English on Czech roads, including toll rates, click here.