The repair of Třebíč's Karlovo náměstí has so far become nine million crowns more expensive

Třebíč – The renovation of Třebíč's Karlovo Square, which is approximately halfway completed, has so far exceeded its budget by nine million crowns. The costs of one of the largest city investments in recent years have risen from approximately 103 million to about 112 million crowns (excluding VAT). This is evident from information in the contract register and statements by the mayor of Třebíč, Pavel Pacal (Pro Třebíč). According to him, the reason for the price increase is also the excessive amount of asphalt that needed to be removed, which was not anticipated in the project. The price was also raised by new equipment for the market vendors, which was not included in the original contract. The current shortage of building materials on the market does not threaten the completion date of the renovation.

The latest amendment to the contract signed last September raised the price of the work by 3.5 million crowns. The increase in costs is also related to the amount of asphalt that needed to be removed from the roadway on the northern (lower) side of the square. According to Pacal, in some places the layers were as thick as 30 centimeters, while the designer had accounted for a regular thickness of up to ten centimeters. "The further increase relates to the remediation in the eastern part of the square and the furnishings," said Pacal.

According to him, the price increase is within the norm since, for similarly extensive work, it is necessary to account for unexpected costs. He believes that the current rise in construction material prices has not significantly contributed to the price increase. However, the shortage has delayed the paving in the completed section of the square by about two months, as there were no curbs. "The contractor solved it by simply moving on to another type of work until the curbs were available, so no time was lost," said Pacal. The renovation of the approximately two and a half hectare square began last September and is expected to be completed by the end of September next year.

The reconstruction of the square is also associated with additional costs for repairs of engineering networks beneath the surface or improvements to the appearance of the statue of Saints Cyril and Methodius, which is the square's dominant feature. The restoration of the sculptures and the steps beneath them cost about 690,000 crowns excluding VAT. The city hall also invested more than one million crowns in the repair of the passage connecting Komenského and Karlovo Squares. After the repairs, the passage could also serve to display archaeological finds unearthed during the square's renovation.