The Minister of Infrastructure Andrzej Adamczyk signed a programme for the extension of the A4 motorway between Katowice and the border of the Opolskie Voivodeship, announced the General Directorate of National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA). The document guarantees the allocation of funds for this investment.
The realisation of the investment is planned in the design-and-build system for the years 2031-2033, with preparatory works scheduled until 2028.
“The expansion of the A4 motorway is a goal of the government and has therefore been included in the current road programme. We must be ready for the challenges of the present and the future, that is why Poland must implement ambitious transport including road, rail and air projects”, said Adamczyk.
The extension of the A4 is a necessity. Due to the very high traffic load (from over 60,000 to over 100,000 vehicles per day), the existing motorway cross-section is insufficient, and moving on it does not guarantee the expected freedom of movement.
The long service life and the achievement of the fatigue life boundary conditions of the A4 motorway, i.e. its wear, are also in favour of extending the motorway. As a result, pavement rehabilitation will be necessary soon. Therefore, there is a justified need to extend the motorway with additional lanes.
Along with the extension of the motorway carriageway with additional lanes, 11 road junctions, six Rest Areas (Łany, Kleszczów, Ostropa, Bojków, Gliwice Sośnica, Zabrze Południe, Ruda Śląska, Chorzów, Katowice Mikołowska, Katowice Francuska, Katowice Murckowska) and over 150 engineering structures are to be rebuilt. The former infrastructure of the manual toll collection system in Gliwice will be dismantled.
The A4 motorway expansion is to be carried out as part of the Government’s National Roads Construction Programme until 2030 (with an outlook until 2033). A total of PLN 299.5 billion is expected to be allocated for the investment, following an update to the programme in September this year.
Arkadiusz Słomczyński