Jihlava has postponed the deadline for submitting bids for the arena from March to April 28

Jihlava – Jihlava has moved the deadline for submitting bids for the construction of a multipurpose arena from the end of March to April 28. This follows from the public procurement bulletin. The city initiated the procurement procedure for the construction, with an estimated price of 1.3 billion crowns excluding tax, in mid-February of this year. According to the city hall, the deadline was extended also due to the fact that many inquiries have been coming from companies regarding this contract.

According to Deputy Mayor Petr Ryška (ODS), the city still expects to receive 300 million from the state and half a billion crowns from the Vysočina Region for the arena. "Now it’s about what will happen once we open the envelopes,” said the deputy. He noted that the situation in the market is complicated by the war in Ukraine. If everything goes well and the contract can be awarded for the funds that the city has, according to the deputy, demolition of the old Horácký ice rink could begin this summer. The new arena is expected to be built in its place.

So far, the city has not had to change this year's investment plan due to the overall rise in costs, which includes expenditures of around 350 million crowns. "We will see what the coming months bring us and how the construction market will develop,” Ryška stated. Surprisingly, contracts for which the city announced competitions in January and February have often come in below budget prices, according to the deputy.

This year, Jihlava will also build two transport terminals. One terminal will be located on Havlíček Street for six million crowns, and almost 27 million will be spent at the main train station. The area in front of the station will be newly renovated, while the Railway Administration will also undertake construction modifications to the building. "It will all be more pleasant; there will be more parking spaces,” Ryška mentioned.

This year, the renovation of the old Brno Bridge is also expected to begin, which is estimated to cost around 40 million crowns according to the city hall. The construction company for this contract will still be selected. According to the city's website, this is a bridge from 1927, which used to be part of the state road. After the repairs, a one-way traffic regime should remain on the bridge, and the pedestrian sidewalk will be widened.

Jihlava will also complete the extension of the trolleybus line by 5.7 kilometers to the industrial zone this year and will have new sections of cycle paths constructed. The plans also include repairs to sidewalks and roadways, which, according to the deputy, are often done in conjunction with sewage and water supply systems. Repairs to water management networks in Jihlava have been delayed for several years due to disputes over the transfer of this property with the association of municipalities, from which Jihlava withdrew.