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Autostrada A1 (Poland)
Encyclopedia
The autostrada A1 in Poland
is a planned and under-construction motorway which will run from north to south through central Poland, from Gdańsk
on the Baltic Sea
through Łódź and the Upper Silesian Industry Area
(Gliwice
) to the Polish-Czech
border in Gorzyczki (Wodzisław County) /Věřňovice
(Karviná District
), where it will connect with the Czech motorway D1
. The motorway is a part of the European route E75
. The total length of the motorway is planned to be 568 km (352.9 mi). The recent goal of the Polish government was to have the whole motorway open to traffic by the spring of 2012, in time for Euro 2012 football championships, but that is no longer feasible.
) started. A 25 km (15.5 mi) section of this project was opened on December 22, 2007, near Gdańsk
, extending the S6 bypass expressway
, and the remaining 65 km (40.4 mi) opened on October 17, 2008.
The 62 km extension of the motorway to Toruń opened on October 14, 2011
At the southern end of the motorway, construction of a 15.5 km (9.6 mi) section from Gliwice-Sośnica to Bełk, part of the southernmost section from the junction with the A4
motorway at Sośnica
district of Gliwice
to the Czech border, began on March 26, 2007, and finished in December, 2009. As of late 2009, the remainder of the 48 km (29.8 mi) long section from A4 to the border is under construction, and should be opened in stages in 2010-2012. Construction of the 43 km (26.7 mi) section from Gliwice-Sośnica north to Pyrzowice started in 2009 and will be completed by 2012.
On Dec. 15, 2009 the Polish government announced that it is canceling the contract for building the Świerklany - Gorzyczki
(Czech border) section, citing the unacceptably slow pace of construction by the company responsible, Alpine Bau GmbH. The government solicited new bids for this section in April, 2010. The bidding was won by the same company that lost the original contract, and construction resumed in October, 2010. The original plan was for the road to be ready in the Summer of 2010, according to new contract it will be ready in April 2012, in time for Euro 2012 championships.
On January 22, 2009 a contract was signed for the construction of the 180 km (111.8 mi) section from Stryków
(junction with motorway A2
) to Pyrzowice
. Under the terms of the contract, the segment from Stryków to Częstochowa
(123 km (76.4 mi)) was to be finished by May 2012, while the remaining segment from Częstochowa to Pyrzowice (57 km (35.4 mi)) was to be finished by January 2014 (60 months after the signing of the contract). The motorway was to be built within a Private-Public Partnership framework by company Autostrada Południe. The contract included the rebuilding of an already existing stretch of A1 motorway (opened in 1989) as well as the upgrade of the existing dual-carriageway road between Piotrków Trybunalski
and Częstochowa
. On January 23, 2010 the contract was cancelled as the company was not able to secure financing. It carried out the design project of the motorway however, which according to the Polish government was to make it possible for construction to begin in 2010 by new contractors, and be finished by 2012. However, the design project turned out to be full of flaws and will have to be redone from scratch. The current estimate for the completion of this section is 2015, though it is possible that some sections will be finished earlier.
The construction of the A1 motorway has been a political issue in Poland, as it is generally perceived to be an economically vital road that would connect the country with its major ports on the Baltic coast. Since 1989 various governments and political parties have supported an accelerated construction schedule for this motorway, without results. After many delays, caused mainly by lack of funding, new construction began only in 2005. When Jarosław Kaczyński was prime minister, statements from government officials indicated a firm commitment for accelerating the construction schedule, with completion of the whole motorway achieved in 2010. That plan was too optimistic, but according to current plans much of the motorway will be opened by 2012, with full completion expected around 2015.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
is a planned and under-construction motorway which will run from north to south through central Poland, from Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
on the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
through Łódź and the Upper Silesian Industry Area
Upper Silesian Industry Area
Upper Silesian Coal Basin is a coal basin in Silesia in Poland and Czech Republic. It also contains a number of other minable resources...
(Gliwice
Gliwice
Gliwice is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Gliwice is the west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
) to the Polish-Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
border in Gorzyczki (Wodzisław County) /Věřňovice
Vernovice
is a village in Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. It was a separate municipality but became administratively a part of Dolní Lutyně in 1975. It lies on the border with Poland, in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia....
(Karviná District
Karviná District
Karviná District is a district within the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. Its administrative center is the city of Karviná. It was created by 1960 reform of administrative divisions in the area of former Fryštát District...
), where it will connect with the Czech motorway D1
Highway D1 (Czech Republic)
D1 motorway is the main highway of the Czech Republic. Currently it connects the two biggest Czech cities, Prague and Brno, in the future it will link Ostrava and the border with Poland...
. The motorway is a part of the European route E75
European route E75
European route E 75 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe.The E 75 starts from Vardø, Norway in the Barents Sea and runs south through Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia and Republic of Macedonia to Sitia, Greece on...
. The total length of the motorway is planned to be 568 km (352.9 mi). The recent goal of the Polish government was to have the whole motorway open to traffic by the spring of 2012, in time for Euro 2012 football championships, but that is no longer feasible.
History of construction
As of December, 2009, about 134.6 km (84 mi) of the motorway has been completed. The oldest section, a 17.5 km (11 mi) stretch near Łódź, was built between 1978 and 1989, but then there was a long pause in further construction until 2005, when the building of the northern section (south of GdańskGdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
) started. A 25 km (15.5 mi) section of this project was opened on December 22, 2007, near Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, extending the S6 bypass expressway
Obwodnica Trójmiejska
Obwodnica Trójmiejska , – is part of S6 express road that bypasses the cities of Gdynia, Sopot and Gdańsk. The beltway runs north to south from Gdynia to Pruszcz Gdański and is long. Together with the Słupsk bypass, it forms a part of the S6 expressway which will eventually run from Szczecin to...
, and the remaining 65 km (40.4 mi) opened on October 17, 2008.
The 62 km extension of the motorway to Toruń opened on October 14, 2011
At the southern end of the motorway, construction of a 15.5 km (9.6 mi) section from Gliwice-Sośnica to Bełk, part of the southernmost section from the junction with the A4
Autostrada A4 (Poland)
The autostrada A4 in Poland is a motorway which runs from west to east through southern Poland, from the Polish-German border in Zgorzelec , through Wrocław, Katowice, Kraków, Tarnów, and Rzeszów to the Polish-Ukrainian border at Korczowa. The motorway is a part of the European route E40...
motorway at Sośnica
Sosnica
Sośnica may refer to the following places in Poland:*Sośnica, Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Sośnica, Subcarpathian Voivodeship *Sośnica, Greater Poland Voivodeship...
district of Gliwice
Gliwice
Gliwice is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Gliwice is the west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
to the Czech border, began on March 26, 2007, and finished in December, 2009. As of late 2009, the remainder of the 48 km (29.8 mi) long section from A4 to the border is under construction, and should be opened in stages in 2010-2012. Construction of the 43 km (26.7 mi) section from Gliwice-Sośnica north to Pyrzowice started in 2009 and will be completed by 2012.
On Dec. 15, 2009 the Polish government announced that it is canceling the contract for building the Świerklany - Gorzyczki
Gorzyczki, Silesian Voivodeship
Gorzyczki is a village in Gmina Gorzyce, Wodzisław County, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. It has a population of 1,593 and lies near the border with the Czech Republic....
(Czech border) section, citing the unacceptably slow pace of construction by the company responsible, Alpine Bau GmbH. The government solicited new bids for this section in April, 2010. The bidding was won by the same company that lost the original contract, and construction resumed in October, 2010. The original plan was for the road to be ready in the Summer of 2010, according to new contract it will be ready in April 2012, in time for Euro 2012 championships.
On January 22, 2009 a contract was signed for the construction of the 180 km (111.8 mi) section from Stryków
Stryków
Stryków is a town in central Poland, in Łódź Voivodeship, in Zgierz County. It has 3,602 inhabitants .-Early history:The first mention of Strykow was in 1387. Strykow was a village situated on the route from Zgierz to Lowicz. Strykow received city rights in 1394 from King Wladyslaw Jagiello, at...
(junction with motorway A2
A2 autostrada (Poland)
The autostrada A2 in Poland is a motorway which, when completed, will run from west to east through central Poland, from the Polish-German border in Świecko/Frankfurt , through Poznań, Łódź and Warsaw to the Polish-Belarusian border in Terespol/Brest...
) to Pyrzowice
Pyrzowice
Pyrzowice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ożarowice, within Tarnowskie Góry County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately east of Ożarowice, east of Tarnowskie Góry, and north of the regional capital Katowice....
. Under the terms of the contract, the segment from Stryków to Częstochowa
Czestochowa
Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...
(123 km (76.4 mi)) was to be finished by May 2012, while the remaining segment from Częstochowa to Pyrzowice (57 km (35.4 mi)) was to be finished by January 2014 (60 months after the signing of the contract). The motorway was to be built within a Private-Public Partnership framework by company Autostrada Południe. The contract included the rebuilding of an already existing stretch of A1 motorway (opened in 1989) as well as the upgrade of the existing dual-carriageway road between Piotrków Trybunalski
Piotrków Trybunalski
Piotrków Trybunalski is a city in central Poland with 80,738 inhabitants . It is situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , and previously was the capital of Piotrków Voivodeship...
and Częstochowa
Czestochowa
Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...
. On January 23, 2010 the contract was cancelled as the company was not able to secure financing. It carried out the design project of the motorway however, which according to the Polish government was to make it possible for construction to begin in 2010 by new contractors, and be finished by 2012. However, the design project turned out to be full of flaws and will have to be redone from scratch. The current estimate for the completion of this section is 2015, though it is possible that some sections will be finished earlier.
The construction of the A1 motorway has been a political issue in Poland, as it is generally perceived to be an economically vital road that would connect the country with its major ports on the Baltic coast. Since 1989 various governments and political parties have supported an accelerated construction schedule for this motorway, without results. After many delays, caused mainly by lack of funding, new construction began only in 2005. When Jarosław Kaczyński was prime minister, statements from government officials indicated a firm commitment for accelerating the construction schedule, with completion of the whole motorway achieved in 2010. That plan was too optimistic, but according to current plans much of the motorway will be opened by 2012, with full completion expected around 2015.
Sections of the motorway
| Motorway section | Length | Constructed | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gdańsk Gdansk Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the... - Grudziądz Grudziadz Grudziądz is a city in northern Poland on the Vistula River, with 96 042 inhabitants . Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship , the city was previously in the Toruń Voivodeship .- History :-Early history:... |
90 km | 2005–2008 | opened Dec. 2008 |
| Grudziądz - Toruń Torun Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.... |
62 km | 2008–2011 | opened Oct. 14, 2011 |
| Toruń - Stryków Stryków Stryków is a town in central Poland, in Łódź Voivodeship, in Zgierz County. It has 3,602 inhabitants .-Early history:The first mention of Strykow was in 1387. Strykow was a village situated on the route from Zgierz to Lowicz. Strykow received city rights in 1394 from King Wladyslaw Jagiello, at... /Łódź |
144 km | 2010–2012 | under construction, will open in mid/2012 |
| Stryków/Łódź - Tuszyn Tuszyn Tuszyn is a small town in Łódź East County, Łódź Voivodeship, central Poland, with 7,201 inhabitants .-External links:**... |
37.3 km | 2012–2013 | Design-build Design-Build Design-build is a project delivery system used in the construction industry. It is a method to deliver a project in which the design and construction services are contracted by a single entity known as the design–builder or design–build contractor... contract signed in December 2010, completion planned in 32 months |
| Tuszyn - Piotrków Trybunalski Piotrków Trybunalski Piotrków Trybunalski is a city in central Poland with 80,738 inhabitants . It is situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , and previously was the capital of Piotrków Voivodeship... |
17 km | 1978–1989 | built, to be upgraded in 2012-2015 |
| Piotrków Trybunalski - Częstochowa Czestochowa Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship... |
82 km | 2012–2015 | planned upgrade of existing dual-carriageway road |
| Częstochowa - Pyrzowice Pyrzowice Pyrzowice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ożarowice, within Tarnowskie Góry County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately east of Ożarowice, east of Tarnowskie Góry, and north of the regional capital Katowice.... |
57 km | 2012–2015 | in preparation |
| Pyrzowice - Maciejów | 39 km | 2009–2012 | under construction |
| Maciejów - Sośnica Sosnica Sośnica may refer to the following places in Poland:*Sośnica, Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Sośnica, Subcarpathian Voivodeship *Sośnica, Greater Poland Voivodeship... /Gliwice Gliwice Gliwice is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Gliwice is the west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – a metropolis with a population of 2 million... |
6 km | 2009–2011 | opened September, 2011 |
| Sośnica/Gliwice - Bełk | 15,5 km | 2007–2009 | opened December, 2009 |
| Bełk - Świerklany | 14,1 km | 2008-2011 | Bełk - Rowień opened in December 2010 , Rowień - Świerklany opened in April 2011 (delayed because of floods) |
| Świerklany - Gorzyczki Gorzyczki, Silesian Voivodeship Gorzyczki is a village in Gmina Gorzyce, Wodzisław County, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. It has a population of 1,593 and lies near the border with the Czech Republic.... (Czech border) |
18,4 km | 2007–2012 | construction interrupted in late 2009 due to contract dispute, then resumed in October, 2010 |