The construction of the next section of Via Carpatia in Podkarpacie: the S19 Rzeszów Południe – Babica expressway has started. Part of this investment will include the construction of over 2 km of tunnel. It will be made by mechanical drilling with the TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine). The maximum depth of the works will reach over 100 meters.
“We are witnessing a historic event. We are starting the construction of the Via Carpatia route south of Rzeszów, an investment that no one believed, not long ago. The construction of this route is undoubtedly a great engineering challenge. This task is difficult, expensive, but extremely necessary, both for the inhabitants and companies from this region”, said Minister of Infrastructure Andrzej Adamczyk during the ceremonial commencement of construction works.
S19, will allow leading transit traffic out of the town center along the existing DK19, which causes considerable nuisance for residents including accidents, noise, and exhaust fumes. It will also shorten the travel time from Rzeszów to the border with Slovakia and increase road safety.
The scope of works includes the construction of six flyovers, two viaducts over the S19, a collision-free passage over the railway line, three passages for animals and one passage under the S19. It is planned to build two passenger service places and two landing pads for helicopters of the Polish Medical Air Rescue.
The S19 expressway is part of the international Via Carpatia route, connecting Northern and Southern Europe along the eastern border of the European Union. In Poland, this route will be over 700 km long and will run through the Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, Lubelskie and Podkarpackie voivodeships.
This section of S19 is one of the most technologically difficult infrastructure investments in Poland. The complicated geological conditions (Carpathian flysch) occurring at the investment site and the hilly terrain require the construction of high flyovers and a tunnel. The contract value is over PLN 2.2 billion, and the completion of works is scheduled for 2026.
Arkadiusz Słomczyński