Šimonovský: 30 companies have shown interest in the construction of the Brno tunnel

BRNO - Approximately 30 companies have expressed preliminary interest in the construction of a road tunnel in the Brno area of Dobrovského, for which the state has set a limit price of 6.9 billion crowns. "Companies have picked up the conditions for the tender, the deadline for submitting bids expires on Tuesday, and the opening of envelopes will begin," said Minister of Transport Milan Šimonovský to reporters in Brno today.
    Originally, construction was supposed to start in the spring of 2006; however, according to the minister, delays were caused by lengthy negotiations regarding the project's funding. The alleged further threat of delaying the start of construction, which was reported by the media last week, was rejected by the minister. "The regional office has already issued a decision assessing the impact of the construction on the landscape, one participant has appealed against it, yet I believe that everything will be resolved in time," the minister said.
    He admitted that the start of construction would take place at the last moment. At the site of the future tunnels, exploratory drifts have already been constructed, which will become part of the tunnel tubes. If construction is delayed for a long time, the drifts could jeopardize the stability of the buildings standing on the surface.
    However, unlike similar projects in the future, construction should not be delayed due to issues with missing funds. Financing will not affect the speed of construction, Šimonovský claims. "The contractor will build it as quickly as possible, and will receive payments in installments until 2011," the minister explained. He expects the construction to be completed in 2009.
    The Dobrovského tunnel will connect to intersections in Žabovřesky and at the so-called Svitavská radial. The first tube will run along the axis of Veleslavínova, Dobrovského, and Žabovřeská streets, while the second will run parallel 60 to 80 meters further south along the extended axis of Pešinova street. The project also includes the construction of two connecting grade-separated intersections.
    Brno is expected to invest about 400 million crowns in relocating existing utilities and building new engineering networks, with additional funds coming from the budget of the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure.