The latest idea on how to use a tunnel to improve traffic in Prague concerns the ‘Magistral’. This clogged artery sends a motorway’s worth of cars through the center of Prague, ruining life for everyone who lives anywhere near it, but providing an attractive office location for developers. The Pankrac district is one the most effected locations, so it’s here that city officials are considering building a 1200 meter tunnel that would direct cars underground until the Nusle bridge, while surface traffic would be reduced to a standard city boulevard with two-way traffic. Echo.cz reports that initial estimates put the length of construction at three years and the cost at around CZK 3.5bn, meaning that commuters and taxpayers would do well to prepare for somewhat more on both counts. Whether this is a serious idea, however, is less than clear, as it’s common for politicians to think out loud about such solutions long before anyone knows if they’re feasible.
