The 37 billion anabase is ending. The Blanka Tunnel will open in December
The Prague tunnel complex Blanka will open on December 2. In this trial start period, Prague finally agreed with the technology supplier, ČKD Praha DIZ, which lasted until April 2015. Even so, this is a three-year delay compared to the original plan. The longest tunnel in the Czech Republic will eventually cost 36.9 billion crowns – it has risen by six billion against the plan.
“I am extremely glad that after all the ups and downs we can finally tell the people of Prague when we would like to put Blanka into operation in a trial mode,” said Nouza. “Everything is, of course, conditional on successful testing of the technological part, safety systems and the takeover of the work by the construction investor,” he added. He did not say how long the trial operation would last. However, the building approval is conditioned by the completion of the outer ring road of Prague, which is in sight.
The construction of the tunnel complex, which was planned by the former city administration led by Pavel Bém, is accompanied by a number of problems and irregularities. During the construction, billions of extra costs were incurred and Prague did not know how to reimburse them. The dispute with the construction company Metrostav ended at the arbitration court at the beginning of this year. The court eventually ordered Metrostav to complete the tunnel by the end of September and Prague to pay five billion. According to the city management, the arbitrators thus legalized payments that arose beyond the original contracts, and at the same time unblocked the construction, which Metrostav suspended last year.
The builders completed the construction part in accordance with the court’s statement. According to Nouza, Prague will start taking over the construction from them. “It will be a gradual process, we will take over 850 buildings,” he explained. A Metrostav spokesman said the company officially launched the Troja Bridge in Prague this afternoon. Its commissioning probably doesn’t stand in the way of anything.
Budget increase
Due to unpaid invoices, Prague also conducts arbitration with the construction manager, the company Inženýring dopravních staveb (IDS). And due to the debts, the city was threatened with the cessation of work and the company ČKD Praha DIZ also sued.
The previous management of the city, led by Bém, claimed that the cost of building the tunnel complex would be 21 billion crowns. However, according to the current city management, it must have been clear to politicians that it was not possible to build a tunnel for such an amount. Prior to the 2010 elections, according to TOP 09, they already knew that the costs of construction, technology, geodetic works and land purchases would be around 31 billion. Construction of the tunnel complex began in 2007. Blanka measures over six kilometers. It connects to the Strahov tunnel and ends at the bridge in Troja.
Drivers have been driving Blanka for three years |
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Mid 90s – Prague decided between three variants of the northwestern part of the city ring under the names Dana, Hana and Blanka. Blanka was given priority, it was included in the zoning plan in September 1999, at that time without a specific opening date. |
September 26, 2006 – The councilors chose the winner of the tender for the construction of Blanka. It became Metrostav, the work started in the spring of 2007, it was supposed to be finished by October 2011. |
November 2009 – The company IDS, which manages the construction of Blanka for the city, admitted that the construction of the entire complex is 13 months late. The opening date was to be December 2012. |
August 9, 2011 – Deputy Mayor Karel Březina (ČSSD) said that the tunnel should start operating in the first half of 2014 (later the date of May 1, 2014 appeared). The reason for the postponement was the financial difficulties of the city. |
April 2014 – During the arbitration between Prague and Metrostav, which decided to pay for the Blanka complex, it appeared as a possible completion of the end of summer 201. Later, it unofficially4 decided on the beginning of October (ie before the municipal elections on October 10 and 11). |
June 2014 – The supplier of the technological part of the tunnel, the company ČKD Praha DIZ, stated in a letter to the municipality that it will not have time to complete the work in the tunnel by the autumn deadline. At the beginning of July, Deputy Mayor Jiří Nouza (TOP 09) also confirmed the postponement, and April 2015 was mentioned as the opening date. |
August 15, 2014 – Deputy Mayor Nouza said that on October 6, at least the Troja Bridge, which is part of the Blanka tunnel complex, will open to cars and trams. |
September 30, 2014 – Deputy Nouza announced that the Blanka complex will open on December 2 (Blanka holiday). Prague has agreed with ČKD Praha DIZ on the date of the trial start of operation. |