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A major artery, the Castle Ring, has been open in Kaunas since September. However, the work continues. Congestive drivers don’t just curse road users. In the Kauno diena study, a conversation with Aloyzas Pakalniškis, the head of the City Management Department of the Municipality of Kaunas, about the remaining works, their completion dates and any additional planned changes is relevant for all drivers.
– How many more repairs will continue to the entrances to the Castle Ring?
– We allowed traffic on the ring, as it should have, – on September 1, but it does not work as it should because the work continues. They are scheduled to be finished on the road before September 30.
We do not evaluate archaeological excavations and their procedures. Both the pavement and the remains of the buildings were excavated. The archaeologists had a lot of work to do, they needed additional capacity, they worked in two teams. We may not meet that well on September 1, but a lot of work has been done. Contractors called and consulted Sunday. I think the teams worked together and did everything they could.
Photo by Aloyzas Pakalniškis / Vilmantas Raupelis
– What were the reasons for the long archaeological investigation?
– Before September 1. there was a “Kauno vandenai” failure, a lot of precipitation. The last few days seemed to be very unfortunate. The goal was to separate the mixed wastewater system. It was necessary not only to repair old networks, but also to build new ones. The work was carried out in unexplored places, so we also found buildings, foundations, floors. We have seen the pressure of deadlines, we have asked archaeologists not to skimp on us and to get the job done as quickly as possible. Then it was necessary to carry out network and road construction works. These are pretty predictable things.
– When excavating the old town, it is probably difficult to expect that there will be no archaeological finds.
– Initially, we consulted with Kaunas heritage conservationists. We thought that maybe we wouldn’t find anything, because when we drove the streets of Šauklių and Šv.Gertrūdos, there was a dredge in one place, that’s why we said that we shouldn’t find anything there. But the reality is different. We found everything and a lot on St. Gertrude Street and in the ring itself. There were many surprises for everyone. We hoped it would be easier.
– Before September 31st. planned to complete repairs and access to the castle ring?
– Yes, work on the sidewalk will continue.
The contractors have been working for quite some time, I don’t even have an excuse for either the municipality or Kauno Vandenis.
– How much will be driven because pedestrians face difficulties?
– As much as we could, we leveled, we allowed to walk through the rubble. It is not possible to go to the section of Santa Gertrudis street near the Plaza del Seimas Constituyentes, but we made paths through the patios. Vilniaus Street has also been excavated. The situation is really difficult for pedestrians, but we plan to finish the works before Christmas. On the ring, we narrowed the driveway to make pedestrians safer and more spacious. According to estimates, St. Gertrude Street is the most intense in Kaunas. The Kėdainiai Bridge would solve this problem.
– When all the works on St. Gertrude Street have been completed, the road will narrow. Will the bandwidth decrease?
– The number of lanes has not changed. On St. Gertrude and Šauklių streets, a pedestrian crossing has been removed from the traffic light. There will be no more traffic lights from Šv.Gertrūdos street when driving from Castle Ring to Birštonas street; there will be one lane of traffic. It is more permeable than two lanes to a traffic light. Certain changes will improve performance, but not enough to eliminate congestion.
– When Castle Ring was opened, traffic was also allowed on P. Kalpoko Street. Here are complete ruins. Just scratched, but no result.
– The upper road will be laid on Friday. The sidewalks will all be new, with paving work later this week. The nets have been rigged before them, the curbs have been changed, a lot of preparatory work has been done. It is scheduled to end before Christmas.
Photo by Vilmantas Raupelis
– A.Mackevičiaus Street is the great enigma of Kaunas. I read that the job is in its fourth year. There are no signs, the entire area has been excavated, which is difficult for non-Kaunas residents even with navigational aids. What are the reasons for the delay in work?
– This is a European project organized by Kauno Vandenai. The contractors have been working for quite some time, I don’t even have an excuse for either the municipality or Kauno Vandenis. They had no possibility of terminating the contract and the European funds would be lost. Therefore, it was decided to end up with the same contractor. Pretty embarrassing project.
– Who is the contractor?
– UAB Kamesta. Your situation is quite difficult. But Kauno Vandenys has decided to finish and not stop, because new tenders must be announced. As far as I know, they have to finish the installations in September.
– In this situation, can’t Kauno Vandenys be partially to blame for the lengthy repairs? I don’t want to speculate on rumors.
– Obviously, it is necessary to take the blame. The object cannot take place for three or four years. Interest is calculated. If it were decided to terminate the contract and find a new contractor, the losses would be greater. Such decisions have been made, it remains to be seen.
– How is the construction going on Vilniaus Street?
– There you will find everything: wooden floors, 16th century. and the seventeenth century. paving. They are quite interesting objects that stop working. Once the upper part was demolished, the front of the work was handed over to Kauno vandenys. Most of the networks in the old town consist of mixed sewage. It would be a shame to miss an opportunity to tackle this problem. We talk to the entrepreneurs as we see the progress of the work. The main objectives are twofold: it would be possible to walk on the rubble during Christmas and get covered before June. There are many different questions about materiality, its application, but archaeological research is still ongoing. They work, they find a lot, especially in places of new communication. A gas accident happened three or two weeks ago, everything ended well, but the network on Nemuno Street was cut off. Work is slow, some networks remember the interwar period. A situation in drawings on Nemunas street and another during the excavation. There are no exact data. In the event of an accident, the supply was cut off in just three hours. Many questions are raised as to why the problem was not located quickly. We asked ESO to prepare for the interview so that in the event of a similar failure, such a prolonged dangerous situation would not occur.
– What else is happening in the city?
– Student Square and Unity Square will gain some integrity. The demolition and networking work is now underway. Next year, Kaunas will become the European Capital of Culture. We really want to rejoice to have completed the work started at the center. We don’t really plan any big work next year. We may run the Laisvės Alley section from Soboro to Trakų Street. We continue to manage the peripheral areas – Sukilėlių Avenue, Romainių Street, Alyvų Street in Aleksotas, we will complete Europa Avenue. Next year will be calmer so as not to upset the tourists’ nerves. A fairly large planned project is Romainių Street. They have no rainwater, no sidewalks, and a large population. Once upon a time there were agricultural fields, there were only drainage systems and no rain systems developed. We believe that we will offer a decision to the council, we have discussed the situation with the politicians.
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