In Brno, the excavation of the Dobrovského tunnels began today

Brno - With more than a year's delay, today the Directorate of Roads and Highways (ŘSD) started the excavation of the Dobrovský tunnels in Brno. This controversial construction, with a budget of around eight billion crowns, which is to be part of a large city ring road, was delayed by protests from homeowners in the surrounding area who feared ground subsidence.
    The director of the Brno ŘSD office, Jiří Rupp, told ČTK today that the ŘSD has already reinforced several houses, and the situation will reportedly be monitored daily; if necessary, injections are prepared to stabilize the buildings.
    "Excavation will proceed slowly; every day, the tunnels will extend by only about one meter," said Rupp. In the event of movement of residential buildings in the area of construction, so-called compensatory injections will be introduced under their foundations to lift and level the houses. Another preventive measure implemented by ŘSD based on expert recommendations is, for example, denser spacing of supports in the tunnels.
    The construction of the Dobrovský tunnels was originally supposed to begin in the spring of 2006. However, environmentalists and homeowners in the area disagreed with the method of excavation. The court in Prague sided with them and returned the building permit to the Ministry of Transport for revision. The ministry then commissioned experts from the Czech Technical University (ČVUT) to resolve the issues with the structural integrity of the buildings. The ŘSD had to reinforce about a hundred houses closest to the planned route of the tunnels. The project obtained a building permit again last September.
    The delays only concern the excavation of the tunnels; about ten other smaller associated constructions have been underway since mid-last year. According to plans, the tunnels are expected to be passable by the end of 2011. If no further complications arise, this deadline is still achievable despite the current delays in the start of excavation, Rupp added. The surrounding road and intersection constructions could be completed even a year earlier.
    The costs of excavating the two tunnels, each 1.25 kilometers long, are estimated at eight billion crowns, with 400 million crowns to be covered by the Brno city council and the remainder by the SFDI. The Ministry of Transport is also preparing additional phases of the ring road, such as the construction of a bridge over the Svitava River in the Tomkovo náměstí and Rokytova street area, or the building of a tunnel under the Brno locality of Akátky. The Brno large city ring road could be complemented by another tunnel. Its construction is being advocated by the city districts of Židenice and Vinohrady instead of the original proposal, which anticipated routing the ring road along Rokytová and Žarošická streets in the eastern part of the city.