A stretch of Poland’s S2 express road, which forms the southern part of the planned bypass around the country’s capital city, Warsaw, is under construction thanks to EU funding. Running between the Puławska and Lubelska junctions, the road has a total length of 18.52 kilometres and constitutes the south-eastern section of the bypass. It includes a 2.3 kilometre-long tunnel, which takes it through Warsaw’s Ursynów district, and a bridge across the Vistula river, 1.5 kilometres in length.
- 09 May 2018
The road is a dual carriageway, with three lanes running in both directions either side of a central reservation in some sections and four lanes in others, while the width of the central reservation varies between 5 and 12 metres. Space has also been set aside for further expansion of the road in the future.
The technical parameters have been adapted in order to take account of projected increases in traffic levels in the coming years, and the road is designed for a travelling speed of 80 kilometres per hour.
Vital European transport routes
Part of the core Trans-European Transport Network, the S2 express road is located within the network’s North Sea-Baltic Corridor. Consisting of 5 947 kilometres of railways, 4 029 kilometres of roads and 2 186 kilometres of inland waterways, the corridor runs from Amsterdam to Helsinki and connects the ports on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea with those on the North Sea in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
The S2 also lies on European route E30, which, at around 6 500 kilometres, is one of the longest European routes. Beginning at Cork in Ireland, it runs through the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Belarus and Russia, ending close to the city of Omsk, at the border between Russia and Kazakhstan. It also connects some of the most important cities in Europe, including London, The Hague, Berlin, Minsk and Moscow, as well as Warsaw.
Relieving congestion near the city centre
The overall budget for the construction of the section of the S2, which is scheduled to enter into operation from September 2020, is in excess of EUR 1 billion. Of this, almost EUR 390 million are supplied through the EU’s Cohesion Fund.
When it is completed, the S2 will have a total length of nearly 34 kilometres, linking with the A2 motorway at both its western and eastern ends. It should contribute to relieving the existing 26.68 kilometre-long national road 2 – which runs closer to the city centre and suffers from high levels of congestion – and the inner city area of Warsaw, in particular its bridges.
By taking transit traffic away from the city in this way, the project will help to cut congestion, improve local residents’ quality of life and reduce atmospheric pollution. The new section of bypass will also provide faster, safer and more efficient connections for both national and international transport, thereby supporting Poland’s economic development.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Construction of the S2 express road, section from Puławska junction to Lubelska junction (without the junction)” is EUR 1 054 160 960, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 389 807 535 through the “Infrastructure and Environment” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period.