The feasibility study confirmed the possibility of building a tunnel in the center of Zlín

Zlín – The construction of a four-lane road tunnel under part of Tomáš Baťa Boulevard, which would calm the center of Zlín, is technically feasible. This follows from a feasibility study of this proposal, which the Zlín city hall received from the developer AFRY CZ, spokesperson for the Zlín city hall Tomáš Melzer informed ČTK in a press release today. The dug tunnel would be 1.1 kilometers long. Costs are estimated at five billion crowns.

The idea of diverting traffic in the center of Zlín underground emerged in the transportation general plan in 2016. "We have discussed and developed the idea of a tunnel in the center of Zlín and the city commissioned a professional company to prepare a feasibility study. We have now received it and can discuss the proposal more specifically. The study shows that a tunnel under Tomáš Baťa Boulevard could realistically be built within four years. At today's prices, it would cost about five billion crowns, and most of the costs should be covered by the Road and Motorway Directorate (ŘSD)," said city councilor Michal Čížek (ANO).

For the city, the construction of the tunnel would be financially unattainable from its own budget. It is assumed that the investor should be the ŘSD, as it concerns a state road. "During the entire period, we have been communicating the project with ŘSD, which also collaborated on the feasibility study. We sent them a proposal for a joint memorandum regarding this construction. The next step should be to conclude a cooperation agreement and establish a joint approach for the clients. Following that, an environmental impact assessment would take place, and the documentation for the zoning decision would be commissioned," said Čížek.

The director of the Zlín ŘSD branch, Karel Chudárek, confirmed to ČTK today that the ŘSD is cooperating with the city and commenting on the technical solution. "I welcome this step by the city; it is a good step to start. I anticipate that at a certain stage, we will take over the preparation of the construction," Chudárek stated. According to the developers of the feasibility study, the start of construction would realistically be possible no earlier than 2030.

The main purpose of the tunnel is to calm the city center. The tunnel is expected to divert about 18,000 cars daily away from the center of Zlín. "It will allow for the creation of a pedestrian zone, two-way traffic on some streets, the connection of parks, and so on. The tunnel will also improve accessibility to the center for pedestrians and cyclists and increase their safety. Locals will appreciate the lower noise levels, and drivers will experience faster and smoother transit in the west-east direction," said Prokop Nedbal from AFRY CZ.

The developer of the feasibility study considered several variants, one of which was recommended for further project preparation. "For the resulting variant, we prepared a capacity assessment of the affected intersections, a proposal for the procedure and organization of construction, calculated an estimate of construction costs, and prepared a proposal for the architectural solution of the area," said the project manager from AFRY CZ, Vojtěch Nižňanský.

The tunnel should be located in the footprint of Tomáš Baťa Boulevard. The lowering of the road is proposed in the section between the intersections with Březnická street and with Hluboká and Lorencova streets. It is planned to have a twin-tube tunnel with two fully-fledged traffic lanes in each direction. Compared to the proposal from the general plan, the connection of Dlouhá street to the tunnel has been eliminated. It would not be technically feasible without intervention in the built-up area. "Prior to commissioning the feasibility study for the tunnel, several variants of diverting traffic away from the center of Zlín were considered, but all were evaluated as even more expensive and less effective, as a large part of the traffic has its source or destination in the wider city center. Transit traffic accounts for only about eight percent of vehicles passing through the city center," the spokesperson stated.