Construction of the Troja bridge in Prague, part of the Blanka tunnel complex, will cost nearly three times the CZK 464m originally expected when the general contractor Metrostav was selected for the job. The city is putting the blame for the final price tag of CZK 1.3bn (including VAT) at the feet of the designer Mott McDonald and is claiming that company should pay the difference, saying the error arose thanks to an error in the project documentation. Police investigating the matter, however, are looking instead into the activities of the head of the OMI, the city’s investment organ, Jiří Toman, as he approved the higher price.
Metrostav won the tender to build the whole Blanka complex back in 2006 with a bid of CZK 495m for the bridge. The city then changed the project without holding a new tender, opening the door to the contractor to increase the price.
