A1 autostrada (Poland)
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| Route information | |
Part of  E75 |
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| Length: | 212 km (131.7 mi) 568 km (353 mi) planned |
| Major junctions | |
| From: |  S6 near Gdańsk |
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 A4 near Gliwice |
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| To: |  D1 border with Czech Republic |
| Location | |
| Major cities: | Gdańsk, Toruń, Łódź, Częstochowa, Gliwice |
| Highway system | |
The autostrada A1 in Poland is a north-south motorway currently under construction that will run 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 planned length is 568 km (353 mi). The recent goal of the Polish government was to have the entire route open to traffic by the spring of 2012, in time for Euro 2012 football championships, but that is no longer feasible. [1]
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[edit] History of construction
As of December, 2011, about 212 km (132 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. Further construction resumed in 2005 with the building of the northern section (south of Gdańsk). A 25 km (16 mi) section was opened on December 22, 2007, near Gdańsk, extending the S6 bypass expressway, and a remaining 65 km (40 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[disambiguation needed 
], part of the southernmost section from the junction with the A4 motorway at Sośnica[disambiguation needed ] district of Gliwice to the Czech border, began on March 26, 2007, and was completed in December 2009. As of late 2009, the remainder of the 48 km (30 mi) long section from A4 to the border is under construction, and should open in stages in 2010-2012. Construction of the 43 km (27 mi) section from Gliwice-Sośnica north to Pyrzowice began in 2009 and is scheduled for completion in 2012.
On Dec. 15, 2009 the Polish government announced the cancelling of the contract for building the Świerklany - Gorzyczki (Czech border) section, citing the unacceptably slow pace of construction by Alpine Bau GmbH.[2] The government solicited new bids for this section in April, 2010 [2] and the bid was won by the same company that lost the original contract, and construction resumed in October, 2010. [3] The original plan was for the road to be ready in the Summer of 2010,[2] 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 (110 mi) section from Stryków (junction with motorway A2) to Pyrzowice.[4] Under the terms of the contract, the segment from Stryków to Częstochowa (123 km (76 mi)) was to be finished by May 2012, while the remaining segment from Częstochowa to Pyrzowice (57 km (35 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.[5] 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.[1] The current estimate for the completion of this section is 2015, though it is possible that some sections will be finished earlier.[1]
The construction of the A1 motorway has been a highly politicized issue in Poland, as it is perceived to be an economically vital road that would connect the country's major ports on the Baltic coast with both central and southern Poland. 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, construction resumed 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.[1]
[edit] Sections of the motorway
| Motorway section | Length | Constructed | Note |
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| Gdańsk - Grudziądz | 90 km | 2005–2008 | opened Dec. 2008 |
| Grudziądz - Toruń | 62 km | 2008–2011 | opened Oct. 14, 2011 |
| Toruń - Stryków/Łódź | 144 km | 2010–2012 | under construction, will open in mid/2012 |
| Stryków/Łódź - Tuszyn | 37.3 km | 2012–2013 | Design-build contract signed in December 2010, completion planned in 32 months [6] |
| Tuszyn - Piotrków Trybunalski | 17 km | 1978–1989 | built, to be upgraded in 2012-2015 |
| Piotrków Trybunalski - Częstochowa | 82 km | 2012–2015 | planned upgrade of existing dual-carriageway road |
| Częstochowa - Pyrzowice | 57 km | 2012–2015 | in preparation |
| Pyrzowice - "Zabrze Północ” (Wieszowa) | 31 km | 2009–2012 | under construction, will open in Spring of 2012 |
| "Zabrze Północ” (Wieszowa) - Maciejów | 8,1 km | 2009–2011 | opened December, 2011 [7] |
| Maciejów - Sośnica/Gliwice | 6 km | 2009–2011 | opened September, 2011 [8] |
| 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 (Czech border) | 18,4 km | 2007–2012 | construction interrupted in late 2009 due to contract dispute[2], then resumed[3] in October, 2010. It will open in March 2012. |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Ostre hamowanie A1 w Pyrzowicach, [1]
- ^ a b c d biznes.onet.pl article Dec. 15, 2009
- ^ a b Announcement on official www.gddkia.gov.pl
- ^ News on GDDKiA official web portal
- ^ biznes.onet.pl article Jan. 23, 2009
- ^ Umowa na budowę odcinka autostrady A1 w kierunku Katowic
- ^ GDDKiA official announcement
- ^ Autostrada A1 otwarta z Maciejowa do Sośnicy!
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Freeway A1 (Poland) |
- Official website of Gdańsk-Toruń section operator (English)
- Official page for construction project A1 Toruń-Kowal (Polish)
- Official page for construction project A1 Kowal-Stryków (Polish)
- Official page for construction project A1 Pyrzowice-Gliwice Sośnica (Polish)
- Official page for construction project A1 Świerklany-Gorzyczki (Polish)
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