Prague is considering the construction of a tunnel near Charles Bridge

Prague - The Prague City Hall is considering the construction of a 135-meter long tunnel in the immediate vicinity of Charles Bridge. This was reported by today's Mladá fronta Dnes (MfD). The tunnel is expected to connect Smetanovo nábřeží with Křižovnická street and divert traffic from a very congested area frequented by thousands of tourists.
    "This is something that was discussed in general at one time and occasionally resurfaces," said Mayor Pavel Bém (ODS) according to the newspaper at a March meeting with Minister of Culture Václav Jehlička (KDU-ČSL). The paper wrote that the new tunnel will definitely not begin construction before the Prague ring road is fully completed. According to today's plans, the ring road will not be finished before 2012. "If we could bring surface transport in the area of Křižovnická street, the square, and the Karlovy lázně below ground level, we would create an immensely attractive public space in the historical part of the city," Bém added.
    However, the head of Prague's archaeologists, Zdeněk Dragoun, considers the tunnel near Charles Bridge to be madness. "It would be better to eliminate cars from this area and redirect trams to a single track, just as it is at Malostranské náměstí," he stated.
    According to MfD, the necessary documentation should be gathered within two months, based on which the city hall will decide whether to continue with the project and what it should ultimately look like. The documentation is to be prepared by a committee comprising architects alongside heritage conservationists and officials. "It's about more things, not just the tunnel, but about traffic in the vicinity of Mariánské náměstí so that the area around Klementinum can be more open to visitors," said city hall spokesman Jiří Wolf.
    Today's Křižovnická street acts as a barrier between Charles Bridge and the Old Town. The road by Charles Bridge, along with Malostranské náměstí, is the only busy thoroughfare that tourists must cross when walking along the Royal Route from the Powder Tower to Prague Castle.