oprescu's underground passage at Pta Presei USELESS - OAB's open letter and petition to oprescu

(Photo source) Oprescu's 'pasaj rutier' destined for Piata Presei Libere has been deemed useless by the OAB in an open letter, and rightly so. It does not take the traffic coming from the Bucharest-Ploiesti motorway into any consideration whatsoever, and, apart from that rather erroneous oversight, it will destroy the beautiful zone of Kiseleff itself - one of the very few left in the capital today.

It is nothing more than another example of megalomanic emperor oprescu's hell-bent determination to mutilate and slaughter what remains of old, historic and cultural Bucharest.

(Photo source) The 145m one-way passage  plans to link Sos. Bucuresti-Ploiesti with Sos. Kiseleff and Bd. Marasti, with traffic entering the tunnel 200m from the Piata Presei Libere intersection to the right of the Miorita Fountain and exiting at aforementioned Kiseleff and Marasti. See PUZ HERE.

Sos. Bucuresti – Ploiesti si bulevardele Kiseleff si Marasti - See more at: http://stirile.rol.ro/nou-pasaj-rutier-la-piata-presei-libere-vezi-cum-va-arata-711107.html#sthash.DD4qKAFk.dpuf

Sos. Bucuresti – Ploiesti si bulevardele Kiseleff si Marasti - See more at: http://stirile.rol.ro/nou-pasaj-rutier-la-piata-presei-libere-vezi-cum-va-arata-711107.html#sthash.DD4qKAFk.dpuf

Sos. Bucuresti – Ploiesti si bulevardele Kiseleff si Marasti - See more at: http://stirile.rol.ro/nou-pasaj-rutier-la-piata-presei-libere-vezi-cum-va-arata-711107.html#sthash.DD4qKAFk.dpufTraffic will enter the 145m tunnel 200m from the Piaţa Presei Libere intersection with exit points at Kiseleff and Marasti, 30m from Hotel Pullman. See PUZ HERE.

The project, said to cost 18 million euros, ie.75 million lei, is designated to Apolodor owned by Radu Ouatu, a local 'businessman', in what has been termed a 'joint venture'. Apolodor is said to be 'specializat in demolari de cladiri, lucrari de infrastructura si dezvoltari imobiliare'. Nuff said. The project has been unsurprisingly controversial, angering local residents, NGOs and decent architects since the word go....

Please see THIS link with opinions from Ordinului Arhitecților din România, Pro.Do.Mo and others taking part in various forums on-line. It is clear that as far as a public debate goes, the PMB are simply playing games. There is nowhere for the average citizen to go for any information pertaining to this project that is readable, understandable and succinct, nowhere to peruse the materials which illustrate the plans. How is a citizen supposed to be able to form an educated opinion, asks the author Cosmin Teodorescu, if they do not have access to all the necessary info. An excellent question.

If you would like to have your say, HERE is a link for participating in an online debate, open to one and all whether specialist or not.

It should be underlined here that the project will affect several PROTECTED zones: Zone n°15: Kiseleff, n°83: Herastrau and n°74: Complex Sportiv Tineretului... 

Even the questions of true cost and completion time are unclear. The PMB is pulling the wool over the eyes of Bucharest's citizens just as it always does in situations such as these. oprescu has vowed a year and two months to a year and a half. Highly unlikely, says Cosmin Teodorescu, given the sum.

Here's a VERY interesting snippet of information for anyone interested: The DSBA (Dorin Ștefan Birou de Arhitectură) worked on the PUZ for both Piata Presei Libere AND Piata Charles de Gaulle. Since 2008, Dorin Stefan has been a member of the CTUAT, the very commission responsible at the PMB for giving the thumbs up (or not) to city projects both public and private in Bucharest. I have written about them often and the posts are NEVER complimentary. Should you not remember, please see HERE. I have always referred to them as The Demolition Brotherhood. A number of its members are deemed highly suspicious since they are engaged in investment projects that have been deeply contested. The CTUAT even go as far as to approve their own projects. Several members of this ‘brotherhood’ bent on the mutilation of the city and beyond, have massively and directly contributed with unprecedented determination to envoke real disaster on urban architecture. Shamelessly and for vast amounts of money, these are real criminals roaming urbanism; their roads and urban ugliness have not only made living unbearable in many areas, but they, along with the corrupt mayors with real estate business deals here and abroad have crippled the capital and many parts of the country.

Crooked architects within a commission meant to preserve Bucharest and correctly advise City Hall on its projects? This is an outrageous travesty of justice in a country whose history and patrimony is being systematically and pain-stakingly annihilated to line the pockets of these bisnitari, falsely under the smoke screen of ‘progress’. It's more than enough - the greed has gone too far...

Romania-Insider reports that Bucharest will need a staggering 13 BILLION euros to pay for all oprescu's projects before the end of his mandate in 2016. But never fear. oprescu has that sorted. With only 1 billion euros in budget for Bucharest in 2013, he says more money can arrive via EU funding in the next three years. Yes, of course... let the EU pay for his absurd and grandiose plans to destroy Romania's capital...

Most of the projects announced by oprescu concern infrastructure – underground or above ground passages such as the one in question here at Piata Presei, but also at Piata Iancului, Mihai Bravu, Plaiul Unirii, Piaţa Muncii, Piaţa Sudului, Piaţa Romană (famous for its accompanying Dali statue of Emperor Traian valued at 2,500-3,000 euros), the Buzesti – Uranus new main road, and others. Most of these should be finalised, apparently, by the end of 2014, according to the mayor’s crystal ball. A concert hall with 2,500 seats and another with 500 near Pta Unirii at an estimated cost of 200 million euros is planned for 2014 and aims completion for 2016. The concert venue at Arenele Romane should be renovated, while hospitals Foisor and Victor Gomoiu are to be expanded and modernised by 2015. The plan also features 60 new kindergartens at an estimated cost of 40 million euros, and a three-year deadline has been set for their comppletion. Another project consists of revamping the education infrastructure in Bucharest - a 239 million euro project in itself.

The man is utterly barking...

To support the OAB and STOP this road ever seeing the light of day, please sign the on-line petition and see more info HERE.

Petitie on-line "Pasajul rutier de la Piata Presei este inutil"

12/07/2013

Categorie: Guvernare, administrativ, Infrastructura, transporturi.

Destinatar: Sorin Oprescu, Primarul General al Bucurestiului,

Pasajul rutier de la Piata Presei - pentru care Primaria Capitalei vrea sa plateasca 18 milioane de euro - este inutil, sustin reprezentantii Filialei Bucuresti a Ordinului Arhitectilor Romania intr-o scrisoare trimisa primarului Capitalei, Sorin Oprescu. Arhitectii spun ca Primaria Capitalei nu a tinut cont de Autostrada Bucuresti - Ploiesti, urmand ca atunci cand aceasta va intra in Bucuresti in zona Petricani (acum merge doar pana la Soseaua de Centura) traficul pe DN1 sa scada cu 30%, facand inutil pasajul pentru ca intersectia de la Piata Presei se va decongestiona.

Reprezentantii Ordinului Arhitectilor Bucuresti spun ca acest pasaj va incuraja soferii sa treaca prin centrul Bucurestiului, ceea ce va duce la aglomerarea acestei zone.

De asemenea, OAR Bucuresti subliniaza faptul ca prin construirea pasajului in forma actuala se va distruge bd. Kiseleff - unul dintre simbolurile Bucurestiului.

"Dupa cum este bine cunoscut, Soseaua Kiseleff este una dintre cele mai frumoase si incarcate de semnificatii artere ale Bucurestiului. Este bulevardul de promenada cu cea mai veche traditie, axul monumental care conduce catre Arcul de Triumf si, nu in ultimul rand, principala poarta de intrare dinspre nord in capitala Romaniei. Consideram ca acest pasaj este nu numai nejustificat, ci si brutal prin consecintele pe care le va avea asupra Soselei Kiseleff", se arata in scrisoarea trimisa de Ordinul Arhitectilor Bucuresti primarului general al Capitalei, Sorin Oprescu.

Cititi un articol foarte elocvent pe aceasta tema AICI.