Expressway S3 (Poland)

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Expressway S3 shield}}
Expressway S3
Droga ekspresowa S3
Route information
Part of E 65
Length367.8 km (228.5 mi)
480.7 km (299 mi) planned[1]
Major junctions
FromŚwinoujście
 A6-PL.svg merge with A6 east of Szczecin

A6-PL.svg separation from A6 south of Szczecin
A2-PL.svg A2 near Jordanowo

A4-PL.svg A4 near Legnica
ToCZ traffic sign IS16a - D11.svg D11 border with Czech Republic
Location
RegionsWest Pomeranian Voivodeship
Lubusz Voivodeship
Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Major citiesSzczecin, Gorzów Wielkopolski,
Zielona Góra, Legnica
Highway system
National roads in Poland
S 2 S 5

Expressway S3 or express road S3 (in Polish droga ekspresowa S3) is a major road under development in Poland, which is planned to run from Świnoujście on the Baltic Sea through Szczecin, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Zielona Góra and Legnica, to the border with the Czech Republic, where it will connect to the planned D11 motorway. The total intended length is 480.7 km (298.7 mi), of which 367.8 km (228.5 mi) is open to traffic (of which 7.3 km one carriageway) and 56.3 km (35.0 mi) is under construction (as of January 2020).

The section from Szczecin (A6 motorway) to Jordanowo (A2 motorway) has been completed since 2017. The section from Jordanowo (A2 motorway) to Legnica (A4 motorway) is completed except for a delayed fragment near Polkowice which is planned to open by the end of 2021.

The sections from Legnica to the Czech border and from Świnoujście to Szczecin are partially finished and partially in development, with contracted completions in 2023 and 2024, respectively.[2]

Motorway A3 was planned to be built along this route before, but the decision was made to build a lower standard "express road" as the traffic density was judged too low to justify an autostrada.[citation needed] Nonetheless, S3 shares the crucial properties of an autostrada, including physical separation, restricted access, all interchanges being grade-separated, and (upon completion) at least two continuous lanes in each direction as well as emergency lanes (hard shoulder).

Route[]

Motorway section Length Constructed Notes
ŚwinoujścieTroszyn 34.5 km (21.44 mi) In realization To be completed in 2024
Troszyn bypass 5.1 km (3.17 mi) Constructed 2009 – 2011
Brzozowo – Miękowo 15.5 km (9.63 mi) Constructed 2019 – 2021
Miękowo bypass 4.8 km (2.98 mi) Constructed 2009 – 2012
Miękowo-Rzęśnica 21.8 km (13.55 mi) Constructed in the 1970s with at-grade intersections, reconstructed 2019 – 2020
Rzęśnica-Dąbie(Szczecin) 4.6 km (2.86 mi) Constructed in the 1930s by Nazi Germany, reconstructed 2017 – 2020 Concurrency with A6-PL.svg
Dąbie(Szczecin)-Klucz 10.6 km (6.59 mi) Constructed in the 1930s by Nazi Germany, mostly reconstructed; short fragment near Kijewo interchange remains under reconstruction
Klucz-Pyrzyce 28.2 km (17.52 mi) Constructed 18.02.2008 – 26.05.2010
Pyrzyce-Myśliborz 26.8 km (16.65 mi) Constructed 02.11.2007 – 22.10.2010
Myśliborz-Gorzów Wielkopolski 26.7 km (16.59 mi) Constructed 2008 – 2010
Gorzów Wielkopolski bypass 11.8 km (7.33 mi) Single carriageway constructed 2001 – 2007
Second carriageway constructed 2014 – 2017
Gorzów Wielkopolski-Międzyrzecz 37 km (22.99 mi) Constructed 14.07.2011 – 15.05.2014
Międzyrzecz bypass 6.4 km (3.98 mi) Single carriageway constructed 2004 – 2006
Second carriageway constructed 2014 – 2016
Międzyrzecz-Sulechów 43 km (26.72 mi) Constructed 2010 – 2013[a]
Sulechów-Nowa Sól 44 km (27.34 mi) Single carriageway constructed 1985 – 1995 and 2006 – 2008
Second carriageway constructed 2015 – 2018
Nowa Sól-Kaźmierzów 33.3 km (20.69 mi) Opened June 2018
Kaźmierzów-Polkowice 14.4 km (8.95 mi) Under construction Original contractor ejected from the construction for extensive delays. To be finished in late 2021.
Polkowice-Legnica 33.5 km (20.82 mi) Opened June 2018
Legnica-Bolków 35.84 km (22.27 mi) Opened October 2018
Bolków-Kamienna Góra Północ 16.2 km (10.07 mi) Under construction Planned completion in second half of 2023 [3]The Section includes two tunnels- one 2300 meters long and one 320 meters long
Kamienna Góra Północ-Lubawka 15.3 km (9.51 mi) Under construction Planned completion in first half of 2022

History[]

Initial route plans (autostrada A3)[]

Autostrada A3 shield}}
Autostrada A3
Route information
Part of E 65
Time period1993–2001 (planned only)
Major junctions
FromSzczecin
 A6-PL.svg separation from A6 south of Szczecin

A2-PL.svg A2 near Jordanowo

A4-PL.svg A4 near Legnica
ToCZ traffic sign IS16a - D11.svg D11 border with Czech Republic
Location
RegionsWest Pomeranian Voivodeship
Lubusz Voivodeship
Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Major citiesSzczecin, Gorzów Wielkopolski,
Zielona Góra, Legnica
Highway system
National roads in Poland

The autostrada A3 was a motorway planned from 1993[4][5] to 2001[6] that was supposed to be built in western Poland. It was planned to begin in Szczecin, link Zielona Góra, Bolków and end in Lubawka on the Polish-Czech border.

Some road maps published in 1990s had an approximate route of the motorway, which in some places were different from the final route of S3, most notably the motorway was supposed to form north-eastern bypass of Legnica[7] while S3 was constructed as its western bypass.

One legacy of the road having been planned as an autostrada is that from the beginning it was being constructed on a completely new alignment (some distance away from the old route of the DK3 road). This is akin to how most expressways in Poland are constructed nowadays, but in contrast to the standards of the 2000s when most of the expressways were constructed by upgrading existing roads.

Świnoujście – Szczecin[]

One section of S3 east of Szczecin (19 km) was constructed in the 1970s in an expressway standard of those times, featuring some one-level intersections. It was reconstructed in 2019–2020 to meet contemporary standards.

S3 south of Szczecin overlaps with A6 motorway (see History of construction).

Szczecin – Legnica[]

A single carriageway was constructed in years 1985 – 1995 on the section Sulechów – Zielona Góra (27 km). Three short sections were constructed in years 2001 – 2008, also with the first carriageway only.

The first large section of S3 was the stretch from Szczecin to Gorzów Wlkp. (82 km), opened to traffic in 2010,[8] followed by the stretch from Gorzów Wlkp. to Sulechów (80.6 km), opened to traffic in 2013 / 2014. The new sections had two carriageways, separated by the older stretches (SulechówNowa Sól, Gorzów Wlkp. bypass and Międzyrzecz bypass) which still remained as single-carriageway.

In 2014 – 2017 / 2018, the expressway between Nowa Sól and Legnica (junction with A4)[9] was constructed, and the second carriageway was added on the three older stretches.[10] The exception was the section Polkowice - Lubin, which was also contracted to be completed in the first half of 2018, but the deal with Salini Impregilo was terminated in 2019 due to extensive delays in construction. This fragment will be completed by the end of 2021.[11]

Legnica – border with Czech Republic[]

Signing the contracts for construction of all four stretches between A4 at Legnica and the Czech border was planned for 2014, however in 2013 it was announced that the section will not enter construction before 2017. As the reason, the officials cited delays in preparations in the Czech Republic, which meant that the connecting motorway on the Czech side of the border might enter into construction in 2018 at the earliest[12][13] (currently, it is expected that the section will enter into construction in 2024/2025 rather than 2018[14]). Some of the money allocated for it has been re-purposed to build the S2 expressway in Warsaw.

Later the decision was partially reversed, and in 2014 two tenders were opened for the section between Legnica and Bolków. This part (35.8 km) was constructed in years 2015 – 2018.[15]

Two remaining contracts for the section from Bolków to the Czech border were signed in October 2018, with the completion dates of November 2021 and June 2023.[16]

References[]

  1. ^ Of these 15.2 km shared with A6 motorway.
  2. ^ https://www.gov.pl/attachment/b5bf6875-68fb-44d4-85b0-fa6ef771427d
  3. ^ www.gddkia.gov.pl: Ostatni fragment S3 połączy Świnoujście z polsko-czeską granicą.
  4. ^ Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 28 września 1993 r. w sprawie ustalenia kierunkowego układu autostrad i dróg ekspresowych [Decree of the Council of Ministers on September 28, 1993 on establishing a directional arrangement of motorways and expressways], Dz. U. z 1993 r. Nr 92, poz. 424
  5. ^ "Map of planned network of motorways and expressways in Poland in 1993". Archived from the original on 13 January 2014.
  6. ^ Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 29 września 2001 r. w sprawie ustalenia sieci autostrad, dróg ekspresowych oraz dróg o znaczeniu obronnym [Decree of the Council of Ministers on September 29, 2001 on establishing a network of motorways, expressways and roads of defensive importance], Dz. U. z 2001 r. Nr 120, poz. 1283
  7. ^ Mapa samochodowa Polski 1:700 000 [Road map of Poland 1:700 000] (in Polish). Szczecin: Wydawnictwo Kartograficzne KOMPAS. 1996–1997. ISBN 83-904373-2-5.
  8. ^ www.gddkia.gov.pl
  9. ^ http://www.ceeconstruction.com/news/194512/Tenders-called-for-S3-expressway-in-Dolnoslaskie-region.shtml
  10. ^ http://thebestinpoland.com/budimex-mirbud-and-mostostal-warszawa-bid-in-tender-for-s3-ring-road/
  11. ^ https://www.auto-swiat.pl/wiadomosci/aktualnosci/wlosi-wyrzuceni-z-budowy-autostrady-a1-i-drogi-ekspresowej-s3-z-winy-wykonawcy
  12. ^ Południowa obwodnica Warszawy zamiast trasy S3 do Czech , Gazeta Wyborcza, Dec. 9, 2013
  13. ^ https://gazetawroclawska.pl/zamiast-s3-bedzie-obwodnica-warszawy-rzad-zabral-nam-pieniadze-a-wina-obarcza-czechow/ar/1019597
  14. ^ https://zdopravy.cz/revize-slibu-ministru-za-ano-d11-do-polska-bude-hotova-o-ctyri-roky-pozdeji-nez-sliboval-tok-37609/
  15. ^ Polish Council of Ministers decision from March 4, 2014
  16. ^ https://www.gddkia.gov.pl/pl/a/30617/Wybor-najkorzystniejszej-oferty-S3-Bolkow-Lubawka-granica-panstrwa
  1. ^ Opened in 4 segments:
    • 27.05.2013 (from Jordanowo to Świebodzin Północ)
    • 17.06.2013 (from Świebodzin Południe to Sulechów)
    • 11.07.2013 (from Świebodzin Północ to Świebodzin Południe)
    • 21.08.2013 (from Międzyrzecz Południe to Jordanowo)

See also[]

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