An EU-funded project is upgrading a 29.65 km section of road that runs through the Podlaskie region to expressway status. By adding new lanes, more exits and an array of roadside services, the upgrade will better connect the region to the rest of Poland and beyond, and serve as the foundation for a new regional corridor that aims to attract new businesses, industry and jobs.
- 05 October 2017
The project is upgrading a section that connects Wiśniewo and Jeżewo. Specifically, the project is adding two carriageways (one in each direction) to current national road Number 8, thus upgrading it to satisfy European expressway requirements. The new expressway will be served by four junctions (Gosie-Kołaki, Mężenin, Sikory and Kobylin), four passenger service areas and numerous viaducts, bridges and culverts. Plans include a crossing bridge to ensure the new expressway does not interfere with animal migration patterns.
Connecting the Podlaskie Region with Europe
The S8 is a major expressway in Poland that, when complete, will connect the cities of Wrocław, Lódź, Warsaw and Białystok. This 565 km expressway is an important part of Europe’s E67, which runs from Prague to Helsinki via Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – with the final stretch between Tallinn and Helsinki being by ferry.
Originally, the S8 was to continue on to the border with Lithuania, but in 2009 plans were changed to have the S61 branch off the S8 and run to the border. The popular stretch that runs from Warsaw to Tallinn is commonly known as the Via Baltica and serves as a significant road connection between the three Baltic states.
The section being upgraded by the “Reconstruction of S8 express road: Wyszków – Białystok” project, which is entirely located within the Poland’s Podlaskie region, starts in Zambró County (home of such cities as Kołak and Rutki), passes through the municipality of of Kobylin Borzymy, and finishes in Białystok County (home of Zawady municipality and the city of Tykocin).
Creating a corridor
As the section is part Europe’s core TEN-T network, the project’s objective is to ensure the road is capable of handling increasing traffic levels by eliminating bottlenecks and ensuring the entire S8 in Poland is of equal calibre.
In addition to relieving urban traffic congestion, the upgrade is expected to help reduce travel times and the risk of accidents. More so, as travel times decrease and less time is spent stuck in traffic, drivers will also benefit from fuel savings, the environment will benefit from a reduction in harmful exhaust emissions and the surrounding area will benefit from a decrease in noise pollution.
With the upgraded road in place, both transit and internal traffic will enjoy increased accessibility to inter-regional connections. As cities and region’s become better connected and traffic flow improves, project coordinators expect to see a corridor develop between Wyszków and Białystok, attracting new businesses and industry and creating new opportunities for jobs and growth.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Reconstruction of S8 express road: Wyszków - Białystok (section Wiśniewo - Jeżewo)” is EUR 257 003 863, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 127 404 343 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”.