Raz: Visnove Tunnel Should Be Opened on 22 December
The Visnove tunnel should be open to drivers as early as on 22 December of this year if all the tests go well, said Transport Minister Jozef Raz following the away-from-home government session in the village of Visnove on Wednesday.
Bratislava/Visnove, 29 October (TASR) - The Visnove tunnel should be open to drivers as early as on 22 December of this year if all the tests go well, said Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee) following the away-from-home government session in the village of Visnove (Zilina region) on Wednesday.
However, he admitted that the date could be postponed by several weeks due to the tests.
"The twenty-second of December is a very, very positive and optimistic scenario. Today we've completed tests on the functioning of the northern pipe, which went well. Tests on the southern pipe will now follow; we'll see how they go, and then the comprehensive tests will take place. If all of this turns out well on the first try, the deadline will be 22 December. However, anything can still happen," he stated.
According to the minister, the motorway section will suddenly start making "huge sense" when the Visnove tunnel is opened. "It will connect several transport structures that are already in operation, but they'll only make sense when the tunnel opens," he added.
Raz stressed that it's been possible to speed up the construction of the tunnel thanks to Transport Ministry State Secretary Igor Choma, and especially thanks to the fact that the technology was installed along with the completion of the construction element. "As the construction work was ending, fans and lights were being installed concurrently. This shortened the construction period by 20 months," added Raz.
