Demonstrators block busy highway in call for motorway completion

Around 300 demonstrators blocked the busy E55 highway between Teplice and Lovosice in the north-west of the country for around 30 minutes on Wednesday. They were calling for the completion of a 16 kilometre section of the D8 motorway which has become embroiled in planning problems. As a result of delay around 12,000 heavy lorries are estimated to go through small villages such as Velemín daily. The stretch of motorway was due to be completed at the end of this year. Environmentalists won a challenge to the motorway’s completion earlier this month meaning that it probably will be completed in 2012 at the earliest and possibly not at all.