Gazeta Wyborcza: Investments in roads and the underground

Wojciech Dąbrowski, the head of the General Directorate for National Roads, presented a plan for new road routes for Warsaw and the surroundings, to be constructed by EURO 2012.

Initial declarations of the government envisage that by 2010 the A2 motorway will have connected the capital city to the Polish-German border.

The first exit from the A2 motorway will be the southern ring-road of Warsaw. The ring-road’s first section leading to the Okęcie airport and to Puławska street is to be constructed by 2012. A tunnel under Ursynów district and a bridge for the ring-road across the Vistula River to Wawer district will be constructed at a later date.

The second exit from the A2 motorway will be the extension of AK Route through Bemowo district. Its construction is scheduled to commence by the end of this year. Reconstruction of Toruńska Route at Żerań district and addition of the fifth lane on Grota-Roweckiego Bridge is planned to be completed by 2010.

A new exit road to Krakow and Katowice, starting in Jerozolimskie Avenue and avoiding the jammed Raszyn and Janki, will be ready in 2011.

The city authorities declare that in the forthcoming five years the Northern bridge and another bridge  between Żoliborz and Praga districts will be constructed. At that time a ring-road of Praga district should be laid out from Wiatraczna roundabout to Żaba roundabout at Targówek district. It is necessary because EURO 2012 matches will be held at the National Stadium, which is planned to replace the existing Dziesięciolecia Stadium.

Fans will have the possibility to reach the stadium due to construction of the central section of the second line of the underground, connecting Daszyńskiego Roundabout at Wola district to Wileński Railway Station. Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, the president of the capital city of Warsaw, said that there were good chances that this investment would be completed before EURO 2012.

Michał Wrzosek, the spokesman of PKP, declared that Stadium Railway Station would be reconstructed. Moreover a completely new Western Station is to be constructed by 2012.

Fans arriving at Okęcie airport will have the possibility to reach the city center by train. In early 2009 the connecting link will be added to the currently constructed underground station at the airport. In 2008 or 2009 an airport for low-cost airlines will be put into operation in Modlin. There are chances that that this airport will be accessible by train too.

Source: "Accelerate the underground and roads", Krzysztof Śmietana, "Gazeta Wyborcza Stołeczna", 19th April 2007