Czechs looking for PPP pilot project to build motorways

The Czech Ministry of Transportation plans to complete an 80 km section of the D35 motorway through a Public Private Partnership arrangement, but it's looking for a pilot project on which to test the process. PPP projects are a standard method for the procurement of infrastructure around Europe and but the Czechs have never been capable of creating such a project, despite numerous attempts. To gain valuable experience, Transport Minister Vladimír Kremlík is considering handing over the responsibility for a 32 kilometer extension of the D4 motorway to a private investor. Construction hasn't begun yet but the daily MF Dnes reports that the road between Mirotice and Přibram could open by 2023. "We need to get PPP projects going," Kremík told MF Dnes. "I spoke about this with the Slovak minister of transportation and it's not easy there either. They're going to be going to court." He was referring to reports that the company Slovakia assigned to build the Bratislava ring road may sue the state over delays after it failed to buy the land needed for construction in time.