Prague gives its hands away from financing the circuit. According to Hřib, the state should take over the construction
The state could take over the completion of the rest of Prague’s inner ring road from the city, which is now in charge of it. Earlier, there was talk that the state would contribute 60 billion crowns to the city. After Wednesday’s meeting of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (YES) and the city leadership, Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) told reporters. At the meeting, politicians also dealt with property shifts, especially regarding land in Letňany.
The outer ring road around Prague is part of the motorway network and its completion is the responsibility of the state, the inner ring has been designed and paid for by the city so far. According to Hřib, the handover of the state project would have advantages for the city. “What is important for Prague is that there will be a real legal guarantee that it will really happen and what will happen if it is not fulfilled, and also that Prague will no longer have to participate financially in it,” he said. According to him, the next meeting should take place by the end of July.
From the inner circuit, it remains to complete a ten-kilometer section between the mouth of the Blanka tunnel in Pelc-Tyrolka and Štěrboholy. Babiš confirmed that it would be possible to build in the form of a PPP project, ie in cooperation between the private and public sectors. According to Hřib, it would be a matter for the state if the project was handed over.
“Normally it would have to be under the direction of Prague, but mine as a state also wants to improve the environment of Praguers,” Babiš said, recalling the recent start of the D4 motorway between Příbram and Písek, which is the first PPP motorway construction. “By the end of July, we should have calculated how it would work for the state. Of course, the municipality wants some guarantees. If we find a consensus on the government, it could be resolved in the form of a government resolution,” the prime minister added.
Originally, the city demanded that the state exchange for cooperation in Babiš’s plan to build a complex for officials on municipal land in Letňany, the city contributed 60 billion crowns to selected transport structures, including the ring road.
It is now up to the Prime Minister to oversee government officials to find a legal and organizational solution to this guarantee for Prague. As part of property shifts, we also want to monitor the situation where a state hospital stands on the city’s land (for example, Bulovka). It is essential for their modernization.
– Zdenek Hrib (@ZdenekHrib) June 23, 2021
According to the mayor, this would still be a better solution, but it turned out to be complicated. “During those negotiations, a number of legal and organizational details emerged that appear to be easier to deal with in the second option,” he said.
The project of the circuit of the current city management has modified and extended the length of the section that is to lead through the tunnels compared to the original plan. Compared to the previous plan for 4.2 kilometers of tunnels, it is now expected that it will be doubled. The mayor’s deputy Petr Hlaváček (for TOP 09) said on Wednesday that the documentation for the zoning procedure could be completed in about a year. Now, according to him, the city will prepare a proposal for the procedure, which we will then present to the Prime Minister at the next meeting by the end of July.
According to Deputy Mayor for Transport Adam Scheinherr (Prague Sobě), this is only an idea so far. “The speed of preparation is also important for Prague. That is why I continue to work on the City Circuit so that we do not lose a day. We will see what the state comes up with, but nothing is changing for us at the moment and we are moving our own efforts to implement one of the other investments for Prague, “he said.
On Wednesday, representatives of the city management also discussed with the Prime Minister property shifts and further progress in Letňany. According to Hřib, everything is headed for an agreement there. “We will be able to convince the Prime Minister that it is not possible for the local government to guarantee him the issuance of building permits for projects in Letňany,” he said. Babiš talked about the fact that the project in Letňany would have a huge benefit for the whole of Prague.
According to Councilor Milena Johnová (Prague Sobě), negotiations will also continue on the Na Bulovce Hospital complex, which is divided between the state and the city. According to Babiš, it is important to wait for the strategy of the new government as it approaches it. “In my opinion, we should rather build a new Bulovka, for example within the complex in Letňany,” the prime minister said.
The councilor also mentioned the chateau in Veleslavín, which the city wants to obtain from the state and establish a palliative care center there. “The hope is that the fate of the Veleslavín chateau does not have to be connected with the question of Letňany,” commented councilor Jan Chabr (TOP 09). According to him, negotiations on the castle would have to be conducted separately.
