Raz: Work on Presov Bypass's Second Stage on Schedule

Vysny Orlik, 26 November (TASR) – The construction work on the second stage of the northern bypass around the city of Presov is progressing according to schedule, Transport Minister Jozef Raz (nominee of Smer-SD) announced at a press conference following the government's away-from-home session in the village of Vysny Orlik (Presov region) on Wednesday. Raz conceded, however, that the complicated geology may lead to changes in the timetable. "We inspected the second stage of the Presov bypass, specifically the Okruhliak tunnel. There were two serious issues there: a 140-metre tectonic fault and, on the other side, a landslide. We've excavated more than 1,000 metres of tunnel from the eastern entrance. There are blasts every day, which means that the work is currently progressing quite well. There were some soft, very difficult subsoil sections that even caused a collapse of the primary lining in one area, but this has now been resolved. The landslide on the other side has also been dealt with. From the western side we've excavated only 100 metres of each tube so far, but digging is now under way from both ends, so everything is absolutely fine," said Raz, adding that despite very bad weather, about 250 workers were at the site in the morning according to the construction supervisor. The minister said that the valid timetable remains in force as signed at present. "It's possible, however, that there may be some changes due to the complicated geology, because even the initial removals took some time," he noted. The route of the Presov–Northern Bypass, Stage II section of the R4 expressway follows on from the completed Stage I. It runs through the valley of the Dzikov stream and passes through the future Okruhliak tunnel. Its eastern entrance is located in the valley above Surdok borough. The R4 then crosses the I/18 road and connects to a junction in the village of Kapusany. mf/df