Officials say naturally occurring radionuclides were detected at elevated levels, leading builders to pause work on the D11 motorway near Trutnov, close to the Czech-Polish border.
The Czech Road and Motorway Directorate (ŘSD) announced that radiation readings from three spoil heaps along a 300-metre stretch of the route showed concentrations up to 15 times the acceptable limit, according to Polish media reports.
ŘSD Director-General Radek Mátl said via social media that the heightened radiation could pose health risks to workers on site.
Local authorities believe the source may be radon trapped in ash from a former power plant, used to form the waste heaps.
The Czech State Office for Nuclear Safety was expected to dispatch experts to the site on Friday to carry out more detailed measurements.
Strategic link with Poland delayed
The halted section forms part of a high-priority transport link between the Czech Republic and Poland.
Once completed, the D11 motorway will connect with Poland’s S3 expressway, creating a vital cross-border route.
Work on the border section of the motorway began almost a year behind schedule. Originally launched in 1978, the D11 is one of the Czech Republic’s longest-running road projects.
Of the planned 154 kilometres between Prague and the Polish border, 113 kilometres have been completed, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s polskieradio24.pl news website reported.
The entire stretch is expected to be finished in no less than three years.
(mp/gs)
Source: IAR/PR24/X/@MatlRadek