New S3 express road means connects Lubuskie province with greater Poland

The project adds a second carriageway to sections of the S3 express road in the stretches between Sulechów and Nowa Sól and Gorzów to the Miedzyrzecz bypass in Lubuskie province. Work involves both upgrading existing national road number 3 and building new road.  

In total, 61.61 kilometres of dual carriageway is being built along five sections: 11.25 km at the Gorzów Wlkp bypass; 6.37 km at the Miedzyrzecz bypass; 13.39 km from Sulechów to Zielona Góra North; 13.31 km from Zielona Góra North to the Niedoradz node; and 17.29 km from the Niedoradz node to the 283 junction.

Part of the S3 express road

This project involves only a small portion of the larger S3 express road construction initiative. The S3 runs 301.4 km, starting from the ports of Świnoujście and Szczecin in Poland’s northwest and traveling through Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra. It then goes through Zagłębie Miedziowe, Głogów, Lubin, Polkowice and Legnica, where it becomes part of the Baltic-Adriatic Core Network Corridor. The express road terminates along the Polish-Czech border in the south of the country.

Construction plans originally called for the A3 Motorway to be built along this route. However, as traffic density was found to be too low to meet motorway standards, the project was downgraded to express road status and plans have been adjusted to meet forecasted traffic levels.

Although express roads typically only require the upgrading of existing roads, because of the original plans to build a motorway, in some instances the planned S3 route involves building completely new carriageways. Often times, these new sections of road are located a considerable distance away from the existing national road number 3 that it is set to replace. Specifically, 112.8 km of the S3 requires completely new construction, while 62.7 km involves upgrading the existing road from two lanes to four.

On the road to great opportunities

Nicknamed the ‘road of great opportunities’, it is anticipated that the S3 express road will attract new businesses and investments to the area. This is an important objective as Poland works to transform the former military region of Lubuskie into a business, economic and tourism hub. The region is home to many pristine natural areas, lakes and woodlands, including the Ujście Warty National Park and the UNESCO World Heritage designated Muskau Park. Thanks to the new express road, this once isolated region is benefiting from better connections with the rest of Poland its neighbouring countries.

The project is part of the EU’s Baltic-Adriatic TEN-T Core Network Corridor, a network of local, national and regional roads connecting the Adriatic with the Baltic states and looks to improve European connectivity and boost trade and tourism. Transport infrastructure is one of the EU’s target sectors for its Investment Plan for Europe. According to project coordinators, the S3 express road improves accessibility within Poland, facilitates international trade and has a direct positive impact on everyday life. 

Total investment and EU funding

Total investment for the project “Construction of S3 express road: Gorzów Wielkopolski - Nowa Sól (section Sulechów Kruszyna - Nowa Sól)” is EUR 324 967 126, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 180 615 171 through the “Infrastructure and Environment” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Development of TEN-T road network and multimodal transport”.