The reconstruction of the underpass in H. Králové will begin on March 16 with its closure for three weeks

Hradec Králové - The reconstruction of the underpass on Karla IV. Street in Hradec Králové will begin on March 16. Construction workers will start with demolitions, which will close the underpass for approximately three weeks, the city hall announced today. The underpass is one of the busiest places in the city. It connects the train station with the historic center of the hundred-thousand-strong city. It runs underneath a four-lane road bypass and still maintains its appearance from the time of its creation in the first half of the 1970s.

During the closure of the underpass, people will walk across the road bypass using the pedestrian traffic lights at the crosswalk on Střelecká Street near the cultural house Střelnice. The route around the underpass will be marked. The construction will not affect traffic on the road bypass and on Karla IV. Street.

"From the second week of April, pedestrian passage should be allowed through a narrow corridor in the underpass. Subsequently, there will still be some short-term closures, for example, in mid-June and mid-August, when new electrical wiring, water supply, and sewage systems will be implemented, and selected internal structures will be modified," said the Deputy Mayor for Investments, Lukáš Řádek (TOP 09). Additional short closures due to the construction of ceilings are expected in August and October.

The city has been preparing the underpass reconstruction for three years. It will be carried out by the Hradec Králové construction company Redomo for 33.8 million crowns without VAT. The estimated price before the tender was 41 million crowns. The reconstruction is expected to be completed by the end of this year. To cover part of the costs, the city hall would like to obtain a European grant from the IROP program of up to 11 million crowns.

Construction workers will restore ramps, staircases, glass canopies, and internal structures at the underpass. The underpass will receive new installations. "We will transform this gray and unattractive place, through which thousands of citizens pass daily, into a pleasant connector where people will gladly stop. We want to brighten the place, give it energy and style, bring back shops, and add exhibition spaces," said Řádek.

The underpass was created according to the design of architect Karel Schmied Sr. His son, Karel Schmied, contributed to the current project documentation for the renovation. "Thanks to this, the underpass will retain its urban and architectural value," the city hall stated.

The underpass, which is beneath the intersection of Karla IV. and Střelecká streets, can be accessed from three sides. The city hall dropped the plan for a fourth arm leading to the parking house at Katschnerka and to Hořická Street due to ecological concerns and high costs of expansion.