National Fund for Roads and Highways to be created

The Infrastructure Ministry is planning to create the National Fund for Roads and Highways (NFDiA), whose aim would be to speed up the construction of highways. The NFDiA will probably start its work in September. Its income from highway toll charges would reach zl. 1.5 billion to 2 billion a year, which would give it between zl. 5 billion to zl. 6 billion by 2005. This should be enough to pay off loans, and together with other sources of capital, be enough to finance the construction of at least 500km of highways by 2005. At present only 2.2% of Polish roads are highways. However, before NFDiA can begin its activities, the law on toll highways has to be amended. Deputy Infrastructure Minister Wojciech Janczyk, said that draft changes are ready and they will make investing in highway construction easier and help counter protests from ecologists, archeologists and land owners. (Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 4) A.D.