Today, the Minister of Transport, Ing. Milan Šimonovský, launched another stage of the construction of high-speed communication, R-48, namely the segment between Tošanovice and Žukov, which will serve to provide a faster connection between Frýdek - Místek and Český Těšín.  The cost of the construction of the 7.85 km – long road, which includes the construction of ten bridges, will amount to CZK 1.45 billion; the vast majority of it will be covered by a contribution from the European Union Cohesion Fund, of EUR 37 million (approx. CZK 1.1 billion).  Construction should be finished by the end of 2007.

The construction of the high-speed road, R-48, is currently the second largest transportation investment project in Northern Moravia, after the D-47 motorway.  It will replace the existing road I/48, which constitutes the backbone road in the west¬-east direction (Bělotín – Český Těšín – Border with Poland), and whose capacity is no longer sufficient.  The new road will serve international, long–distance, as well as regional transport, in that territory.  Once the R-48 is completed, the existing road I/48 will be reclassified as a class III road, which will significantly improve the transport situation for most inhabitants concerned.  More detailed information can be found on the web pages of the Directorate for Roads and Motorways – www.rsd.cz.