<p>Workers broke through the last meter of the Blanka tunnel on Monday.</p>

Prague - On Monday, workers broke through the last meter of the Blanka tunnel in Prague. This information was reported today by the official project website. The tunneling work is not yet finished; Metrostav will now complete the tunnel profile. Blanka will become part of the city ring road, with its tunnels measuring approximately 5.5 kilometers in length.
    The excavator broke through the concrete portal wall that separated the excavated tunnel from the construction pit at the Prašný Bridge at 15:15. "The final breakthrough in the Blanka tunnel complex suggests that tunneling work is drawing to a close. For several more weeks, finishing touches on the remaining segments of the three-lane profile will take place, and then the isolators will enter the southern tunnel pipe, followed by steelworkers and concrete workers, who will build the final lining," the website states.
    The construction of the tunnel complex, which began in 2007, has been accompanied by numerous problems from the start. During excavation, the tunnel collapsed three times, and Metrostav received several fines from the mining authority due to the accidents. Local residents have also often complained about the noise and dust from the construction.
    Prague still does not know how much it will pay for the construction. The tunnel was originally expected to cost 21.2 billion crowns including VAT for the construction part and 4.2 billion crowns for technology. An additional 1.58 billion crowns was intended to cover surveys or engineering and design activities according to contracts. However, after the elections, the city leadership discovered that it would have to pay nearly 38 billion crowns for the construction. The increase is attributed to inflation, higher technology costs, and so-called additional work, meaning orders beyond the original scope of the construction. Prague is negotiating with the suppliers about the final price.
    It is still unclear when the tunnel complex will be opened. Initially, it was expected to become operational in 2011, but this was later pushed to the end of 2012. Due to the increase in construction costs by several billion crowns and the strained city budget, it is likely that motorists will be able to drive on the new part of the ring road later. There are talks of a timeline around the year 2014.