KARST-WATERS OF GELLÉRT SQUARE WERE PRESERVED BY THE METRO BUILDERS – THE NEW METRO WILL BE GREEN NOT ONLY IN COLOR

The metro construction is a European standard project in terms of environment protection also. Key aspects are among others the protection of the karst-waters of Gellért square as well as that no protected trees should be removed for the project. It is rare even in international relations that during a metro construction as much money and energy are devoted by the builders to environment protection as for metro 4.

For the investor Metropolitan Municipality and BKV Zrt. it is a key aspect that the construction should meet even the highest, most stringent environmental regulations and requirements in all regards. Nevertheless, the metro project incurred a lot of attacks in the preparation stage. Primarily, green organizations protested because they considered that the metro alignment, the tunnel to be built would adversely affect the karst-waters of Gellért square. But the designers and the contractors passed on the exam: the tunnel is completed under the Danube and the water quality, flow and composition of the hot springs did not change a bit.

The springs were continuously monitored.

Albeit the metro tunnel is built only 30 m deep underground, and the karst and thermal springs in the vicinity of Gellért square are located several hundreds meters deep, during works the contractors paid special attention to that that our underground waters should sustain no harm at all. Soil testing prior to the construction, use of world-class methodology and careful design works ensured that no adverse effect should compromise the thermal springs. As per the plans provided in the middle of the 90’s the original alignment of the metro would have run closer to the base plate of the Gellért hill, than that of the tunnel being built now. The soil tests considered the original alignment suitable also, but the designers were not content with this, so they “over secured” the springs and shifted the tunnel towards the Technical University in order to get it further from the rocks involved in the life cycle of the thermal waters. Prior to the construction works 26 monitoring wells were established by the environment experts of the metro construction, which were testing the karst-waters, but when the works commenced the karst-water monitoring system was added with a nearly 300 meters deep monitoring well also as an additional security. With the help of the wells the changes of quality, temperature, composition and flow of the thermal springs may have been and be observed continuously. During construction no significant change on the data was noted by the experts.

Not a single protected tree is to be cut.

During metro construction not a single protected tree was cut, and those not protected were replaced in multiple numbers. For example at Rákóczi square, locations of trees were considered at design stage. In the course of the station construction there was no need to remove protected trees. Because of the protected trees one part of the station was built by mining method from “underground”, thus it was not necessary to do surface demolition in the vicinity of the Platanus trees. Although, it increased the costs of the station construction, but the environment protection is a key issue, and highly important in any case for the metro project. It was alike for the preparatory projects also, for instance at the rehabilitation of the Bartók Béla road. As it is known, there the project literarily “went around” the protected trees. Not a single protected tree was harmed.