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Three renowned consortia are vying to complete the D35 under a PPP arrangement

Three renowned consortia are vying to complete the D35 under a PPP arrangement

13/7/2026Press releases

The Ministry of Transportation has received final bids from three construction consortia to build the missing sections of the D35 highway between Opatovec and Mohelnice through a public-private partnership (PPP). A detailed evaluation of the bids will now begin, followed by a decision on the selection of the most suitable bid. The concession agreement will then be submitted to the government and the Chamber of Deputies for approval. If the entire process proceeds as planned, construction work could begin later this year.
 

Three renowned consortia are vying to complete the D35 under a PPP arrangement
The PPP project includes the construction, financing, operation, and maintenance of the new D35 sections between Opatovec and Staré Město and between Staré Město and Mohelnice, with a total length of 35.4 kilometers. The project will also include the subsequent operation and routine maintenance of the connecting 17-kilometer section between Litomyšl and Opatovec, which is currently being built by the Road and Motorway Directorate. This section will be incorporated into the PPP project only after the new sections are completed. Two tunnels will also be a significant part of the construction: the nearly 4-kilometer-long Dětřichov Tunnel and the 1.3-kilometer-long Maletín Tunnel.

“We are approaching the final phase of the largest-ever PPP project for transportation infrastructure in the Czech Republic. We have received bids from three renowned international consortia and have immediately begun evaluating them. Now we face the task of carefully reviewing thousands of pages of submitted documentation. We aim to complete the evaluation of the bids and submit the most suitable one for approval by the government and the Chamber of Deputies by the first half of fall,” says Minister of Transportation Ivan Bednárik.

Four internationally renowned bidders who met the qualification criteria originally participated in the competitive dialogue. One of the consortia withdrew from the tender process at the end of 2025, so three bidders were invited to submit their final bids.

By the deadline—July 10 at 4:00 p.m.—the Ministry of Transportation received bids from the following participants (listed in alphabetical order; the price listed represents the net present value of the proposed availability payments):
  • The LitMo Consortium (comprising FCC Concesiones de Infraestructuras, S.L., Meridiam Eastern Europe IV A S.A.S., and Metrostav Concessions a.s.): 76,162,557,949 CZK
  • The ViaCM Consortium (comprising VINCI Highways S.A.S., Abrdn European Sustainable Infrastructure GP V Limited, and John Laing Europe Holdings B.V.): 85,980,392,592 CZK
  • The ViAlliance35 consortium (comprising Cintra Global SE, STRABAG Motorway GmbH, Budimex s.a., and Invesis B.V.): 71,323,843,913 CZK

“We are pleased to have reached another milestone in the bidding process for the largest PPP project in the history of the Czech Republic. Over the past few months, the Ministry of Transport team has responded to nearly 300 technical inquiries from parties interested in the construction project; we answered all of them promptly to avoid any unnecessary delays on our part,” emphasizes Lenka Hamplová, Director General of the Economic and Infrastructure Section, adding: “We will continue at this same rapid pace. In parallel with the evaluation of the bids received, we will prepare documents for submitting the final decision to the interministerial review process, to the government, and subsequently to the Chamber of Deputies. We are doing everything we can to ensure that the first machines arrive at the construction site before the end of this year. It is also in the concessionaire’s best interest to begin construction as soon as possible.”

In addition to the bid price, two quality parameters relating to the condition of the highway upon its handover back to the state at the end of the concession will also be evaluated. Quality exceeding the specified minimum will be given preference in the evaluation. Once the evaluation of the bids is complete, a concession agreement will be concluded with the selected bidder, following its approval by the government and the Chamber of Deputies. After the agreement is concluded, there will be a process known as the “financial close” of the concession agreement between the concessionaire and the entities providing it with financing for the highway’s construction.

For drivers, tolls on this highway will be charged in the same manner as on other Czech highways. Revenues from highway tolls will go to the State Transport Infrastructure Fund and are in no way related to the concessionaire’s compensation. The concessionaire will receive payments solely for ensuring that the highway remains available to users over the long term at the quality level specified in the contract.

“As the state, we will begin making availability payments to the concessionaire only once all sections have been completed and put into operation. Thanks to a payment system linked to availability and quality parameters, the concessionaire is motivated to complete construction as quickly as possible and subsequently maintain the highway at an appropriate quality level throughout the duration of the concession,” explains Jan Ornst, head of the independent PPP Projects Department at the Ministry of Transportation.

The D35 highway is one of the most significant transportation projects in the Czech Republic. Once completed, it will connect eastern Bohemia with central Moravia, significantly relieve traffic in the towns along the current I/35 road, and divert some transit traffic from the congested D1 highway. The Road and Highway Directorate is currently constructing a total of 47.5 kilometers of new sections on the D35.


 

 
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