Kaplice roundabout opens early, linking town to future D3 highway

A new five‑arm roundabout on the I/3 corridor in Kaplice was opened on Wednesday morning, two months ahead of schedule. The intersection connects the town centre, the II/154 bypass, the existing I/3 route toward České Budějovice and Dolní Dvořiště, and a future spur to the D3 highway.

The Directorate of Roads and Motorways (ŘSD) said the opening lifts months of traffic restrictions that forced drivers onto a provisional road while construction took place in the original I/3 alignment. Spokesperson Adam Koloušek noted that “the new roundabout was commissioned with a lead, so drivers no longer face the majority of the previous traffic limitations.”

Built by MI Roads a.s. at a cost of CZK 48.6 million (excluding VAT), the roundabout will become the main junction for the D3 highway once the adjoining section is completed in the autumn of 2026‑2027, completing a key phase of the southern Czech transport network.