Blanka Tunnel Complex () is a part of the inner Prague Municipal Ring Road. It is the longest road

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

and the longest city tunnel in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. The complex connects the area west of

Prague Castle Prague Castle (; ) is a castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic serving as the official residence and workplace of the president of the Czech Republic. Built in the 9th century, the castle has long served as the seat of power for List of rulers ...

with Trója district in the northeast. Its length is about 5.5 km and consists of three tunnels: ''Bubenečský, Dejvický'' and ''Brusnický''. The tunnel complex was designed to relieve the historic center of Prague from heavy traffic. In a first 49-month period it was used by 139 million cars, according to official statistics.

Controversies

During the construction there were three landfalls, two times in the Stromovka park, which created a hole on the ground of the park, with a diameter of 15 to 25 meters, and once at the garden area of the Ministry of Culture in Hradčany. The incident was investigated by the police and damages were estimated at tens of millions of

CZK The koruna, or crown (currency sign, sign: Kč; ISO 4217, code: CZK, ), has been the currency of the Czech Republic since 1993. The koruna is one of the European Union's eight currencies, and the Czech Republic is legally bound to Czech Repub ...

. The construction of the Blanka tunnel was launched back in 2006 by then mayor of Prague

Pavel Bém Pavel Bém (born 18 July 1963) is a Czech Republic, Czech physician and politician. Between 28 November 2002 and 30 November 2010 he served as the List of mayors of Prague, Mayor of the Capital City of Prague, and re-elected in 2006. On 19 Nove ...

, although it was planned since 1993. The tunnel cost tax payers some 43 billion crowns (2015), much more than the originally announced 21.2 billion. However, this price doesn't include all construction costs. Initially due to open in 2011, the biggest and most expensive project in the history of Prague was repeatedly delayed. The tunnel was officially opened to the public on 19 September 2015. The building permit from 2004 set a condition that the tunnel must not be put into full operation, until the north-eastern part of the outer Prague Ring Road is completed. However, this condition has not been met, and as supposed, it will not be completed before 2028. That's why Blanka Tunnel was not officially approved. The authorities circumvented the condition so that the tunnel was opened formally only in trial operation. In 2019, the condition in the construction permit was cancelled, and the tunnel was finally approved for full operation. The city's leadership, led by Mayor

, originally promised that the tunnel would reduce traffic, noise and emissions throughout the area. But according to the environmental association ''AutoMat'', the amount of traffic emissions has increased and continues to exceed health limits. The number of cars on Prague streets has increased by 11% due to

induced demand In economics, induced demand – related to latent demand and generated demandSchneider, Benjamin (September 6, 2018"CityLab University: Induced Demand"'' CityLab'' – is the phenomenon whereby an increase in supply results in a decline ...

, and traffic congestion has worsened. Every year, traffic in Blanka tunnel complex produces more than 40 million kilograms of CO₂.

Gallery

File:Malovanka křižovatka Praha 2014.JPG, Tunnel exit, the Malovanka junction in

Střešovice Střešovice is a Districts of Prague, cadastral area in the west of Prague, located in the Prague 6 district. Střešovice is often called the "local Beverly Hills" because it has been home to some famous residents, including Czech President Vác ...

File:Praha, Bubeneč, Díra ve Stromovce II.jpg, Hole in Stromovka park File:DOD Bubenečský tunel 2014, směr Dejvický tunel.jpg, Bubenečský tunnel File:Tunelový komplex Blanka, Brusnický tunel.jpg, Brusnický tunel

References

{{Authority control Transport in Prague Tunnels in the Czech Republic Road tunnels Tunnels completed in 2015 2015 establishments in the Czech Republic 21st-century architecture in the Czech Republic