The bus station in H. Králové will be delayed by more than two months

Hradec Králové - The construction of the bus station in Hradec Králové will likely be delayed by about two and a half months. The reason is complications with the construction of the complex steel structure of the terminal itself. The company Strabag was originally supposed to complete the station by August. This was stated today by the deputy mayor of Hradec Králové, Josef Malíř.
    The public transport company of Hradec Králové, which is the investor of the station, is currently negotiating with Strabag about extending the deadline. "However, no agreement has been reached yet. As soon as one is reached, the relevant material will go to the council and the city assembly," said Malíř. The construction of the station, costing approximately 300 million crowns, started last August and is the main priority of the Hradec Králové city hall.
    If the bus terminal cannot be completed by the end of this year, the company would lose a subsidy for the terminal from European Union funds amounting to 62 million crowns. If Strabag fails to complete the station by the end of the year, according to Malíř, its bank guarantee in favor of the city would be forfeited.
    Complications arose during the preparation of the execution documentation for the construction of the steel structure itself. "A number of problems regarding statics have emerged," said the director of the transport company, Miloslav Kulich, to ČTK earlier. The unconventional roof design proposed by the architects vaguely resembles the roof structure of the Olympic Stadium in Munich.
    The city of Hradec Králové, with a population of one hundred thousand, currently has no bus station. Buses are currently departing from temporary stops in front of the train station and from a nearby concrete area. After the terminal is built, the builders will also modify the nearby Riegrovo náměstí for public transport needs near the Czech Railways station. Everything should be completed according to the original schedule by autumn 2008. The total construction costs amount to approximately 470 million crowns, including VAT.
    The construction of the terminal has already been delayed due to complications in selecting the construction contractor, which took place twice. The original tender was won in October two years ago by a consortium of companies led by OHL ŽS. However, Skanska, which came in second place, appealed the result to the Office for the Protection of Competition. The antimonopoly office then ordered the tender to be canceled, and the city issued a new tender.