Kaczyński goes green on Augustów bypass

The Ministry of Transport and Construction has agreed to plans for the Augustów bypass project in the face of strong opposition from numerous ecological groups. The bypass through the Augustów Wilderness and a bridge across the Rospuda river are part of the Via Baltica highway, which will ultimately connect Warsaw and Helsinki.

Jerzy Polaczek, Minister of Transport and Construction, said that the approval of the project is based on a verdict from the Supreme Administrative Court, the opinion of the Ministry of the Environment, and falls in line with European Commission (EC) directives. The project will be financed from the Polish budget.

People first

"We have to put people's lives first and then think about nature," said Minister Polaczek.

"However, according to the opinion of prominent experts, there is no possibility that any animal or plant species might be at risk of extinction."

According to the Ministry of Transport, 662 people have been killed and 3,367 injured in car accidents on routes eight and 61, the current main roads through the area, since 1991. The Ministry has also presented reports from the border crossing in Budzisko which stated that 1.5 million trucks will pass through Augustów in 2006. Some local residents are afraid this might jeopardize the town's status as a health resort.

"The busiest road is located just 150 meters from a health spa," said Bohdan Dyjuka, head of the Community Committee for Building the Bypass. "This project will guarantee the city's development and safety."

EU directives

Critics say that building the road in the Rapsuda valley might conflict with the EU program Nature 2000 and its directive on the conservation of wild birds.

According to Barbara Kondrat, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Transport and Construction: "The EC has asked the Ministry to provide a list of areas in Poland that are environmentally significant. The list we sent to the EC was not exactly the same as the list provided by Polish ecological organizations, therefore we were asked to verify the lists. We have until autumn to do this."

Kondrat added that the EU birds directive states the conditions for this kind of investment. To ensure that the regulations are followed, the Ministry announced that it will transfer birds and their nests to different locations.

Green lobby

However, a number of Polish and international ecological organizations have strongly opposed the bypass ever since it was announced.

"We won't discuss casualty figures," said Maciej Muskat from Greenpeace Poland. "Ecologists have never denied the need to build this bypass. However a different route for this road, one that respects the unique nature of the Rospuda valley, should be chosen by the decision makers."

Muskat adds that approval for the project from the Ministry of the Environment was a result of political lobbying by local politicians and officials, and he pointed to EU concerns about the Augustów project, triggered by complaints filed by Greenpeace and other green NGOs in Poland. 

"So far our action has been limited to organizing an internet petition, and mobilizing Polish citizens to send it directly to the Polish President and the Prime Minister," says Muskat. "But we will defend Rospuda valley to the very end. Even if it means that we will have to stand in front of  bulldozers near Augustów."

President's reply

According to recent information from the Presidential Palace, President Kaczyński will support changes to the bypass' route to avoid the Rospuda area.

"The project's change will increase its costs. However, I want to support the environment," said President Kaczyński. "In this case, ecologists are acting reasonably."