The Metro company has signed a loan contract with the European Investment Bank (EIB) for 45 million euros aimed toward construction of a fifth bridge in Bratislava over the Danube River, thus ending a civic protest against the project.
The loan was guaranteed by the Slovak government, which will put up an equivalent sum (1.8 billion crowns) for the plan. Metro may also get a bridging loan of 400 million crowns from the EBRD to allow it to begin a cleanup of the bridge site, which is heavily contaminated with petroleum products and carcinogens from the world war two bombing of the former Apollo refinery.