New Warsaw road turns corner

After over 30 years of existing only on paper, the new route linking Służewiec, Ochota, Bemowo and Chomiczówka will finally be constructed in Warsaw. The Municipal Roads Authority (ZDM) has recently called for a tender for a  report of the route's influence on the environment. The construction works on the 10-kilometer-long road will probably be launched in 2009 and the whole road is planned for completion in 2012.

Residents of Warsaw, whose apartments are located near the new route, are already protesting against the construction. ZDM claims that the area for the new road has been undeveloped since the 1960s, and people should have taken that into account before buying their apartments. At the same time, the Authority ensures that the residents will be protected and the noise minimized.

The General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) estimates the cost of one kilometer to be between zł.20-35 million. However ZDM's Adam Stawicki disagrees with that assessment. "In the case of a route which is built in relations to other routes and streets and requires many underpasses, flyovers, exits, etc., it is much more.