An expert commission of the ČVUT construction faculty has ruled that the enormous concrete passage at the Budějovicka metro station is structurally sound and need not be torn down. The city had been advised in February that it was in danger of collapsing and could be a danger to the public. Since then, the metro entrance leading to the passage has been closed, causing havoc for commuters and hurting business DBK, a department store above the station. The city had known since roughly 2010 that the passage was in extremely bad shape, as no maintenance work had been carried out on it since its construction in 1977. The expert commission said that assuming reconstruction work is performed correctly and the structure is maintained regularly, it can serve another 60 years. The city has been under pressure to ensure the safety of its infrastructure ever since the footbridge across the Vltava collapsed in January.
