9/14/2008

Green light for Prague: Minister-President Dr. Günther Beckstein and German Chancellor Angela Merkel open last section of the A 6 motorway

Bavaria’s Minister-President Dr. Günther Beckstein referred to the opening of the last section of the A 6 motorway between Amberg-East and the ‘Oberpfälzer Wald’ interchange as a "major contribution to European unity". Beckstein said: "The gap we have now closed will bring Bavaria and Bohemia even closer together. It was hard work closing the twenty-kilometre gap, but well worth it. Prague and Plzen are now only a stone’s throw away from Nuremberg or Regensburg. The completion of this stretch of motorway will therefore give further vital impetus to the good relations between Bavaria and the Czech Republic. Bavaria is now even closer to the heart of Europe." Beckstein called on the Federal Government to invest much more in the federal highways and to focus on the right priorities.

Beckstein: "We need a follow-up programme for West Germany to develop important East-West axes in line with demand. To achieve this goal, we want the German Government to provide at least € 500 million per annum. We have drawn up Bavaria-wide building legislation for over € 750 million that we could implement straight away." As an example, Beckstein named the upgrading of the A 8 and A 3 motorways to six lanes and the extension of the B 173 highway from Kronach to Lichtenfels.

Joachim Herrmann, the Minister of the Interior, underlined that the only way to secure the mobility needed by the people and business community in Europe was by providing well developed motorways. Herrmann: "The gap we have closed today in the A 6 motorway is a milestone in transport policy for Bavaria and the Czech Republic and of enormous national and international importance in terms of both transport and economic policy. It marks the final link in the direct route from Paris to Prague passing through the metropolitan region of Nuremberg."

With the completion of this stretch of motorway between Amberg-East and the ‘Oberpfälzer Wald’ interchange, the A6 now has four lanes along its whole length. The section just completed is 20.4 kilometres long and has been under construction since June 2004. It has cost € 167.5 million.

Source: Invest in Bavaria

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