Ecologists have turned to the court over the construction of the Dobrovský tunnels

Brno - The civic association VMO Brno, Children of the Earth, and owners of several houses in the vicinity of the future Dobrovského tunnels in Brno-Žabovřesky have submitted lawsuits to the Municipal Court in Prague against the issuance of a building permit. They are concerned that the excavation of the tunnels and increased vehicle traffic may negatively affect the living conditions and health of local residents due to excessive noise. They are also worried that the structural integrity of the buildings will be compromised, Miroslav Patrik from Children of the Earth told ČTK today. The Ministry of Transport issued the building permit in May. The construction is scheduled to begin next year.
"Since we expect the court's rulings in about two years, we suggested that it at least decide on the suspensive effect of the building permit or issue a preliminary injunction," Patrik said. Thus, construction of the tunnels could not begin until the court's final decision.
According to Karel Štěpaník, the chairman of the VMO Brno civic association, the lawsuit has about 20 pages due to many errors in the building permit. The main objections are aimed at the fact that the permit does not address the expected increase in noise levels around the construction site, which will last for seven years. This objection was also acknowledged some time ago by the ombudsman and the prime minister. "We wanted to replace about 400 windows with soundproof ones, change the organization of future traffic on Hradecká Street, and cover the cut of Žabovřeská Street near the panel houses on Voroněžská Street," Štěpaník described.
The construction of the Dobrovského tunnels, a future part of the large city ring road, began this June. The excavation of the 1.25-kilometer long tunnels is set to start next year. The tunnels are expected to be operational by 2011, with the completed construction in 2013. Costs are estimated at eight billion crowns, with 400,000 crowns paid by the Brno City Hall and the rest by the State Transport Infrastructure Fund.