The representatives approved the work for 1.34 billion to complete Blanka

Prague - The representatives of the capital today, after a long debate, approved for the second time the list of works necessary for the completion of the Blanka tunnel complex, amounting to approximately 1.34 billion crowns. Prague will present it to the arbitration court next week. It will request the court to impose an obligation on the construction company Metrostav to complete the construction and on Prague to pay for the work. The representatives also voted on a long-deferred contract crucial for the operation of the tunnel. This concerns a contract for 114 million crowns with the company ČKD DIZ for the construction and equipping of dispatch centers.
    Work on this key transport structure, which is expected to cost Prague roughly 36 billion crowns, was halted last December due to disagreements between the city and Metrostav. Since then, the arbitrators have been dealing with the validity of contracts between the city and the construction company and the amounts that Prague owes for work already completed. This amounts to 2.7 billion crowns.
     Last week, the representatives rejected the necessary materials for completing the construction in a secret vote. They were primarily concerned about criminal liability for the problematic construction. This was the first time they voted on Blanka. At that time, the coalition of TOP 09 and ČSSD did not have enough votes. Additionally, the opposition ODS refused to participate in the voting. However, today there was a comfortable majority among the representatives.
    "If we didn't decide today, it would be legitimate to expect that extensive damages could occur," commented Deputy Mayor Jiří Nouza (TOP 09) in response to the approval of the proposal. According to an assessment from last year, Prague could lose up to 1.5 billion crowns if construction were to be halted for a long time. However, it is still unclear how far the arbitrators will proceed regarding the outstanding amounts from the past. Nouza thanked all the representatives who participated in the voting. "This was not a political question, but a matter of assuming personal responsibility. Many of us took it on," he added.
    The material approved today will be presented to the arbitrators next week. According to Nouza, the court's decision could pave the way for the long-delayed opening of the tunnel.
    The problematic construction was originally scheduled to open in the spring. Currently, the Prague leadership is talking about the end of August or the beginning of September. The repeatedly postponed date depends not only on the course of the arbitration and the construction of the dispatch centers. Metrostav, which halted the construction last November, previously stated that the resumption and completion of work would take several months. Therefore, the promised deadline for the opening of Blanka is considered unrealistic by opposition representatives and other critics.
    According to Nouza, the construction of the dispatch center could begin by the end of April. The work is expected to last about five months. Nouza added that the city could also know the date when the tunnel complex is expected to be operational within a month.