Company history

In its beginnings Pragoprojekt focused namely on projects related to the reconstruction of existing roads. However, over a short period it moved not only to projects of separate new constructions, but to the designs of comprehensive traffic solutions. Conceptual issues of traffic and engineering nature became prominent and the company started designing the first motorway routes and urban traffic systems. At the beginning of Pragoprojekt's operation it is necessary to emphasize the period of the so called homogenization, when the entire network of ours class I roads was rebuilt to a unified 8-meter width, with a simultaneous removal of the greatest defects in direction and altitude. The company can be proud of its first designs of a primary road system in the capital of Prague, which gradually developed from a grid system (a residue of which is the North-South Expressway) up to the current form of a radial-circular system. From outside-Prague projects, the most significant one definitely is the work on the D1 Praha – Mirošovice motorway, partially using constructions started during World War II. The first designs of by-passes around towns and municipalities that divert growing traffic from residential areas should also be remembered. After the above mentioned beginnings, focus gradually moved to other routes of expressways and motorways, like further sections of the D1, D2, R4, D5, R6, R7, R10, as well as to reconstructions, road rerouting and bypasses on class I roads, like e.g. the 1/12,1/38,1/27,1/34. The reconstruction of roads in North Bohemian region was particularly interesting - our designers were involved in the Ervenice corridor and other roads on extensive dump sites of brown-coal mines, or prepared new connections as a replacement for planned closing of roads, or in construction of the so called coal routes.

After 1989 our company got significantly involved in the modernisation of current and new border crossings. A group of our experts also operated in Berlin and participated in the reconstruction of old German motorways. Another very significant and interesting experience was our involvement in Uzbekistan at the preparation of the Silk Road restoration and the training of Uzbek professionals in new working procedures and technologies. In this period we significantly participated in so far the most extensive construction of 60 kms of the D5 Plzeň – Rozvadov motorway. We also designed basic routes of the D3 motorway both in Central and in South Bohemia, prepared the route of the D8 motorway via the České Středohoří mountain range, as well as participated in the repairs and construction of other sections of the D11 and DI motorways. Due to limited space, numerous projects on expressways and class I, II and III roads are not mentioned, similar to the through-highways through towns and municipalities, reconstructions and repairs of urban streets, designs of fuel stations, rest areas, roundabouts, parking and lay-by areas, etc.

Looking back, let us remind the most important projects that formed the road networks not only in the Czech Republic, but also abroad:

Motorways:

• motorway D1, D2 Praha – Brno – Bratislava in category D26,5/120:
• motorway D5 Praha - Plzeň - Rozvadov (Czech-German border) in category D26,5/120 in connection to the TEN European network
• motorway D11 Praha Hradec Králové – Czech-Polish border in category D 26,5/120 a D27,5/120
• motorway D3 Praha – Tábor – České Budějovice – Czech-Austrian border D 26,5/120 a D27,5/120 in connection to European network TEN in cooperation with UN
• motorway D8 section 0805 Lovosice – Řehlovice
• motorway Baghdad – Basra (Iraq)

Roads:

• expressways R4, R6, R7, R10 in category R22,5/100 to 25,5/120:
• Prague Ring Road, sections 512, 513, 514, 515, 516, 517 (part), 518
• class I roads I/3, I/4, I/34 and others
• class II and III roads
• Trans–Sahara trunk road Algeria - Mali – Niger

Urban roads:

• in Prague (Barrandovská exit road, City ring road Hostivař section, Radlická radial road):
• in Ústí nad Labem, Plzeň, Liberec, České Budějovice, ...
• in Baghdad, Mosul, Basra and otherlr cities in the Far East

Mass Urban transportation:

• trolleybus routes in České Budějovice, Ústí nad Labem, Teplice and Chomutov, Plzeň, Zlín
• introduction of trolleybus transport in Kabul (Afghanistan)
• introduction of trolleybus transport in Tehran (Iran)

Bridges

From the very start of Pragoprojekt's existence relatively significant demands existed on bridge construction design. They came from a need to expand the existing road network and build a network of motorways. Hand in hand with development in the areas of material and technology, bridges of prestressed concrete started to be designed, not only monolithic, but in particular bridges assembled from prefabricated components started their rapid development. At that time, a number of technically interesting bridges were designed, like for example:

• bridge over the Ohře river in Citice
• bridge over the Jizera river at Kořenov
• bridge over the Vltava river in Týn nad Vltavou
• bridge over the Vltava river in Zbraslav

The development of motorway network which started with the construction of the D1 motorway from Prague to Brno and then of other motorways, like the D5 to Plzeň, or a number of selected roads with limited access, resulted in the development of bridge construction with new materials, technologies, products and construction methods like e.g. the use of segmental technology, use of incremental concreting method, sliding centerings and later also steel-concrete composite structures. Swift technological progress also immediately reflected in the projects of bridge designers. From outstanding bridges on the road and motorway network, which represent many years work of Pragoprojekt's bridge designers, let us present, for instance, the following concrete bridges:

From concrete composite bridges:

• bridge over the Sázava river in Hvězdonice on the D1 motorway
• bridge near Beroun on the D5 motorway
• bridge over the Ohře river on 1/6 at Loket
• bridge over the Labe river in Mělník
• bridge over the Klabava river at Plzeň on the D5 motorway
• bridge over the Ohře river in Karlovy Vary
• bridge on the Barrandov exit road road over the Růžička pass in Prague 5
• bridge over the Labe river on 1/37 in Pardubice

From steal and steel-concrete composite bridges:

• Svatopluk Čech bridge in Prague
• sliding centerings for bridges Hvězdonice and Beroun
• bridge over the Jizera river in Líšný
• railway bridge over the Ohře river in Karlovy Vary
• It is interesting to mention two steel motorway bridges in Laos, for which our designers were awarded high Laos State Awards

Pragoprojekt was one of the first companies pioneering environment protection. At the beginning the approach did not cover the whole area. Within the framework of design works land use was evaluated, drainage of roads including the protection of recipients was solved, and attention was paid to water resources. Detailed solutions for noise protection were introduced in Pragoprojekt's activity only in 1978, and were soon followed by the compilation of dispersion studies. Since 1983, Pragoprojekt has been acquiring fundamental knowledge of global trends in the area of environment protection and the EIA process (Environmental Impact Assessment), based on contacts with the UNDP (the UN Development Program) and with professional organizations in Great Britain and the USA. The first significant activity of Pragoprojekt focused on the environment was a compilation of the AECOTEM methodology (Aesthetic, Economic and Environmental evaluation for North-SouthTrans-European Motorway).

Since as early as 1993, employees have belonged to the first certified experts for the compilation of the EIA documentation according to Act no. 244/1992 Col. The first significant project in this area was their international participation in the elaboration of the EIA for the D5 motorway in the Plzeň – Rozvadov section; since then company employees have compiled another almost 100 assessments of environmental impact.

From many compiled documentations in the area of environment protection, the following may serve as examples:

• road 1/6 Karlovy Vary - west
• D47 motorway, section Lipník n.B. - Bělotín
• trial areas of the ŠKODA AUTO a.s., Mladá Boleslav technical development
• D1 motorway Hybe - Prešov (Slovak Republic)
• D1 motorway, section Beharovce - Branisko, study  of the Branisko tunnel (Slovak Republic)
• bridge over the Morava river at Moravsky Svátý Ján - Hohenau an der March
• D3 motorway in Central Bohemia
• steadying the traffic load of the Nort-South Expressway in the National museum area in Prague
• R49 expressway in section Fryšták - Czech -Slovak state border
• cooperation in capacity increase on the D1 motorway in section Mirošovice – Kývalka

Engineering activities were historically considered as part of Pragoprojekt's portfolio, with the purpose to ensure the construction of company offices in Prague, Karlovy Vary, Liberec and in České Budějovice. The company saw a significant increase in those activities after 1993, when a contract was concluded for a turn-key delivery of a trolleybus transport system in Chomutov. Pragoprojekt did not dispose of any own building capacities, and therefore this 500 million contract - just like many others - was ensured in a form of contractor's engineering.

Engineering activities:

• coal reloading site in Lovosice
• D47 motorway Ostrava Bílovec

Turn-key projects:

• trolleybus transport Chomutov - Jirkov
• trolleybus transport in Teplice
• reconstruction of the Krušnohorský Theatre in Teplice
• reconstruction of a square in Teplice

Engineering supervisions:

• D5 Motorway section 07
• R6 Expressway Praha – Pavlov
• Prague Ring Road section 514
• R48 expressway

Technical Assistance

Technical assistance is a discipline which gradually emerged in the midnineties in connection with support and consulting services to the PHARE program. It gradually expanded, namely due to the start of cofinancing of the Czech motorway programme from the European Investment Bank funds, back in 1999. Such activities and programs continue to this day.

Pragoprojekt, as one of the first companies, had its professionals trained in Paris for using the system for the assessment of the economical return of road investment by means of an internationally renowned methodology, HDM-4. Today these calculations of economic efficiency represent an inseparable part of preinvestment studies and serve as basis for the assessment of profitability of traffic infrastructure projects in the Czech Republic and of their inclusion in the investment plan.

Technical Policy

From the very early stages, Pragoprojekt proactively participated in the technical development of disciplines that immediately involved its activities. The early beginnings of "norm-setting" may be already noticed in the release of "internal technical information" and subsequently the internal "Bulletin", in which employees were informed about innovations and progressive methods in the industry. Such foundations of documented procedures and regulations passed from generation to generation and later resulted in creating standards and technical regulations in Pragoprojekt's main company areas of expertise (roads, bridges, tunnels). Thus Pragoprojekt became a traditional co-author of a number of technical standards and regulations, some of which it directly distributes.

Pragoprojekt was present at the commencement of and compiled or coordinated the compilation of the following:

• TKP PK Technical qualitative conditions for road construction
• TKP ČD Technical qualitative conditions of Czech railways construction
• TKPD Technical qualitative conditions for documentation of road construction
• STIS Technical conditions for the documentation of conjugated routes of engineering service lines Guidelines for the documentation of road construction
• SDS Industrial classification of building structures and works
• DP Delivery terms of road construction
• OP PK Contract conditions for road constructions - red, and green for smaller projects
• DPD Delivery terms for the documentation of road construction
• OPD Contract conditions of land surveying and exploration works and documentation for road construction
• OPKS Contract conditions for providing consulting services for road construction
• MP VSD Guidelines - Execution of construction supervision
• MP ZTKP Guidelines to the compilation of special technical and qualitative conditions for the documentation of road projects
• MP VZ Guidelines to the Act on Public Procurement in road construction

In the past our employees participated in the changes and revisions of industry standards, such as, for instance, the following Czech National Standards:

• ČSN 01 3466 Drawings of engineering structures Drawings of roads
• ČSN 73 6110 Designing of local roadways
• ČSN 73 6101 Designing of roads and motorways
• ČSN 73 6102 Designing of road junctions
• ČSN 73 6425–1 Bus, trolley bus and tram stops transfer junctions and stands
• ČSN 73 6201 Designing of bridges
   

Photo source: company's archive, Authors of the publication on the 50th anniversary of the company