Eight hundred people live in the complex at 1 Anton Popov Street, in two hundred flats, with some twenty commercial units. They sent an open letter to the City of Skopje with one question: if the excavation for the entrance to the underground road at "Limak" is being done right against their building's foundations, what happens to the structure's stability?

The City of Skopje replied that the project documentation was prepared according to all standards and regulations, that constant expert supervision with the appropriate licences will be provided during the works, and that residents will have continuous access to the building. It further replied that the road, according to the design, is raised to the level of the existing car park and that there will be no major excavation.

If there's no major excavation, why is there no presentation?

This is where the story falls apart. On 20 July the residents met representatives of the City of Skopje, who promised them an official presentation of the project within three working days. The meeting never took place. On 23 July they submitted a new written request. There has been no reply to this day.

The residents are asking for a public presentation of the geological surveys, the main design and the planned measures to protect surrounding buildings. The site is in a seismically active area - that isn't panic, that's Skopje.

A reply issued as a press release to the media isn't a presentation. The difference is that you can't ask a press release anything. A geological survey put on a table in front of eight hundred people, you can.

A project fourteen years old

The contract for the underground road with Turkish investor "Limak" was signed on 12 March 2012. The mayor of the day announced a start within a year. There was no work for more than six years, with no explanation from the City of Skopje. Construction began in September 2018. The current mayor, Orce Gjorgjievski, completed the first phase and announced the project's completion during his term.

The second phase costs around 12 million euros and covers two roundabouts at Kočo Racin Boulevard and Železnička Street, plus the entrance to the underground street. The underground street itself will be 746 metres long and 37 metres wide, with two traffic lanes and auxiliary lanes in each direction and two tram lines down the middle.

The residents say they aren't against the development of urban infrastructure, they're asking for the process to be transparent. That's the most reasonable sentence in the entire correspondence, and it's precisely the one the City of Skopje has so far answered with silence.

Twelve million euros is enough to pay for one presentation and one geologist willing to stand in front of people. If the project really is safe, that's the cheapest way to prove it.