The Slovak government is considering building a railway tunnel under the High Tatras connecting Slovakia to Poland. Mayors of cities in the Tatry region claim that if roads and motorways are built instead, the traffic will harm the environment. Train connection might also boost tourism, Michal Sýkora, mayor of Štrba and chairman of the Association of Cities and Municipalities in Slovakia, told the SITA agency. Slovak President Andrej Kiska and Polish President Andrzej Duda first discussed the possibility of building a tunnel between Zakopane and Štrbske Pleso in February. The project also came up at the recent Underground Bridges that Connect conference. Supporters of the idea are drawing inspiration from the Gotthard tunnel in Switzerland, a 57 km tunnel that opened in June.
