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Autostrada A6 (Poland)
Encyclopedia
The autostrada A6 in Poland
is a short (22 km (13.7 mi)) motorway that starts at the Polish
/German
border at Kołbaskowo/Pomellen (connecting to the German A11
autobahn), forms a southern bypass of the Szczecin
metropolitan area, and terminates to the east of that city where it becomes the S3
express road to Świnoujście
. Another 8 km (5 mi) of the S3 road will be redesignated as A6, once improvement work is carried out. The motorway is a part of the European route E28
.
(today Kaliningrad
in Russia
). The sections that after 1945 came into Polish possession were dubbed Berlinka there. All construction work on this and other autobahns was stopped by 1942. After the war the highway together with the surrounding area became a part of Poland, and the post-1945 borders meant that the need for a high-capacity road connection on that route disappeared. Even though much of the construction work was already done, it was not continued by the postwar Polish government. Of the portion that ended up on Polish territory, only a 29 km (18 mi) stretch east from the border with Germany was fully completed as a dual-carriageway autobahn (in 1936-1937 (http://www.autobahn-online.de/ausserdeutschestrecken.html). Most of this stretch became the A6 of today, the rest is signed as the S3 express road. Further to the east, for another 30 km (18.6 mi), one finds a partially completed, single-lane motorway, signed as voivodeship road 142 (part of it has been reconstructed as an emergency military road airstrip). Further east the road is no longer passable, but the earthworks left from the motorway construction stretch for about 100 km (62 mi) more, and are easily visible on satellite photographs. While not part of the A6 in any formal sense, another part of Berlin-Königsberg autobahn was the single carriageway section east of Elbląg (Elbing), built in pre-war East Prussia
and now in Poland and Russia. That stretch had been rebuilt and was opened to traffic in 2008 as express road S22
.
In the years after the war the damage caused by wartime demolitions was repaired, though not completely as some Oder bridges were only rebuilt with a single carriageway. After that, the motorway did not see any significant upgrades or reconstruction until the 1990s. As a result, it fell far short of modern standards, and so on some maps it is not marked as a motorway (in whole or in part). Work on upgrading the highway to modern standards began in the late 1990s, starting with the full rebuilding of Oder bridges. At present, the full 22 km from the German border to the junction with national road 10 has been reconstructed, with the last 7 km (4.3 mi) stretch fully opened on 26 September 2007. However, some interchanges are still awaiting upgrades, and a major interchange with the express road S3 opened in 2010. Additional 8 km (5 mi) (today signed as S3 express road) is to be upgraded at some future date and redesignated as A6. In the more distant future A6 may be extended north to Goleniów
and reach a length of about 50 km (31.1 mi).
In the long term it is conceivable that a motorway along Poland's Baltic coast will be built and if that happens, it will most likely be an extension of A6. It is highly unlikely though that it would follow the route planned in the 1930s, as in modern conditions it is no longer advantageous. Despite some support voiced for the idea by the inhabitants of north-western Poland, at present not even preliminary plans for such a motorway exist and it is highly unlikely that they will be formulated before 2015. The completion of the A1, A2
and A4 motorways, together with a network of express roads, has a much higher priority.
In particular, the S6 expressway
is planned for connecting Szczecin and Gdańsk, though it will have a lower standard than a motorway would. Also, it will not run by the most direct possible route between the two cities, but will instead arch slightly northwards to serve the cities of Koszalin
and Słupsk. Nevertheless, once S6 is built, the need for the A6 motorway running along roughly the same route will probably be too low to justify building it in the foreseeable future, given the rather low traffic densities along this route.
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Temporarily signed as .
After modernization, this part of road will be marked as :
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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 short (22 km (13.7 mi)) motorway that starts at the Polish
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...
/German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
border at Kołbaskowo/Pomellen (connecting to the German A11
Bundesautobahn 11
is an autobahn in eastern Germany that was opened in 1936. As it is partly in a dilapidated state, it is currently undergoing modernisation works on various stretches...
autobahn), forms a southern bypass of the Szczecin
Szczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
metropolitan area, and terminates to the east of that city where it becomes the S3
Expressway S3 (Poland)
Expressway S3 or express road S3 is major road in Poland which is planned to run from Świnoujście on the Baltic Sea through Szczecin, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Zielona Góra and Legnica, to the border with the Czech Republic, where it will connect to the D11 motorway...
express road to Świnoujście
Swinoujscie
Świnoujście is a city and seaport on the Baltic Sea and Szczecin Lagoon, located in the extreme north-west of Poland. It is situated mainly on the islands of Uznam and Wolin, but also occupies smaller islands, of which the largest is Karsibór island, once part of Usedom, now separated by a Piast...
. Another 8 km (5 mi) of the S3 road will be redesignated as A6, once improvement work is carried out. The motorway is a part of the European route E28
European route E28
European route E 28 is a west-east intermediate road in the international E-road network. Beginning at the Berliner Ring in Germany, it runs for a length of to Minsk, Belarus.-Route:Germany* Berlin* PrenzlauPoland* Szczecin* Goleniów* Koszalin...
.
History of construction and plans for the future
The motorway had its beginning as a Reichsautobahn Berlin-Königsberg built by Germany in the 1930s, as part of a planned autobahn connection between Berlin and Königsberg in East PrussiaEast Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
(today Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
). The sections that after 1945 came into Polish possession were dubbed Berlinka there. All construction work on this and other autobahns was stopped by 1942. After the war the highway together with the surrounding area became a part of Poland, and the post-1945 borders meant that the need for a high-capacity road connection on that route disappeared. Even though much of the construction work was already done, it was not continued by the postwar Polish government. Of the portion that ended up on Polish territory, only a 29 km (18 mi) stretch east from the border with Germany was fully completed as a dual-carriageway autobahn (in 1936-1937 (http://www.autobahn-online.de/ausserdeutschestrecken.html). Most of this stretch became the A6 of today, the rest is signed as the S3 express road. Further to the east, for another 30 km (18.6 mi), one finds a partially completed, single-lane motorway, signed as voivodeship road 142 (part of it has been reconstructed as an emergency military road airstrip). Further east the road is no longer passable, but the earthworks left from the motorway construction stretch for about 100 km (62 mi) more, and are easily visible on satellite photographs. While not part of the A6 in any formal sense, another part of Berlin-Königsberg autobahn was the single carriageway section east of Elbląg (Elbing), built in pre-war East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
and now in Poland and Russia. That stretch had been rebuilt and was opened to traffic in 2008 as express road S22
Expressway S22 (Poland)
Expressway S22 or Express Road S22 is a single carriageway express road running from Elbląg to the border with Russia at Grzechotki-Mamonovo , where it connects to a Russian road that continues to Kaliningrad...
.
In the years after the war the damage caused by wartime demolitions was repaired, though not completely as some Oder bridges were only rebuilt with a single carriageway. After that, the motorway did not see any significant upgrades or reconstruction until the 1990s. As a result, it fell far short of modern standards, and so on some maps it is not marked as a motorway (in whole or in part). Work on upgrading the highway to modern standards began in the late 1990s, starting with the full rebuilding of Oder bridges. At present, the full 22 km from the German border to the junction with national road 10 has been reconstructed, with the last 7 km (4.3 mi) stretch fully opened on 26 September 2007. However, some interchanges are still awaiting upgrades, and a major interchange with the express road S3 opened in 2010. Additional 8 km (5 mi) (today signed as S3 express road) is to be upgraded at some future date and redesignated as A6. In the more distant future A6 may be extended north to Goleniów
Goleniów
Goleniów is a town in Pomerania, northwestern Poland with 22,399 inhabitants . It is the capital of Goleniów County in West Pomeranian Voivodeship ; previously it was in Szczecin Voivodeship . Town area is 12.5 km², geographical situation 53°33'N and 14°49'E...
and reach a length of about 50 km (31.1 mi).
In the long term it is conceivable that a motorway along Poland's Baltic coast will be built and if that happens, it will most likely be an extension of A6. It is highly unlikely though that it would follow the route planned in the 1930s, as in modern conditions it is no longer advantageous. Despite some support voiced for the idea by the inhabitants of north-western Poland, at present not even preliminary plans for such a motorway exist and it is highly unlikely that they will be formulated before 2015. The completion of the A1, 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...
and A4 motorways, together with a network of express roads, has a much higher priority.
In particular, the S6 expressway
Expressway S6 (Poland)
Expressway S6 or express road S6 is a major road in Poland which has been planned to run from the A6 autostrada at Goleniów in West Pomerania to Gdańsk parallel to the Baltic coast, forming the main connection between Gdańsk and Szczecin.At present, the only significant section of S6 that has been...
is planned for connecting Szczecin and Gdańsk, though it will have a lower standard than a motorway would. Also, it will not run by the most direct possible route between the two cities, but will instead arch slightly northwards to serve the cities of Koszalin
Koszalin
Koszalin ; is the largest city of Middle Pomerania in north-western Poland. It is located 12 km south of the Baltic Sea coast. Koszalin is also a county-status city and capital of Koszalin County of West Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999...
and Słupsk. Nevertheless, once S6 is built, the need for the A6 motorway running along roughly the same route will probably be too low to justify building it in the foreseeable future, given the rather low traffic densities along this route.
Exit list
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Temporarily signed as .
After modernization, this part of road will be marked as :
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Swinoujscie
Świnoujście is a city and seaport on the Baltic Sea and Szczecin Lagoon, located in the extreme north-west of Poland. It is situated mainly on the islands of Uznam and Wolin, but also occupies smaller islands, of which the largest is Karsibór island, once part of Usedom, now separated by a Piast...
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External links
- Map of A6, via mapa.szukacz.pl
- Photo gallery of A6
- Kołbaskowo interchange 53.34073°N 14.444420°E
- Gryfino interchange 53.333923°N 14.54489°E
- Szczecin-Podjuchy interchange 53.363275°N 14.61830°E
- Partially completed Stargard-Szczeciński interchange, on the DW142 road 53.433993°N 15.07528°E
- End of passable section near Lisowo 53.431935°N 15.2895°E
- A6 depicted on a map from 1956 British atlas. The section east of Szczecin is incorrectly shown as an existing motorway. It actually corresponds to the portion where the construction work was well advanced, but not continued after the war.
- Discussion thread about A6, with current construction photos