GEOLAND Consulting International Sp. z o.o.
od 1991 roku partner Presspubliki - wydawcy dziennika "RZECZPOSPOLITA"
o
logo
 Strona Główna   O nas   Cennik modułów   Badania czytelnicze   Księga Gości 
 
--
 
 

EU funding for Polish roads

Infrastruktura - Środowisko - Energia
Dodatek promocyjno-reklamowy do "RZECZPOSPOLITEJ".
20 grudnia 2006 r.

po polsku

EU funding for Polish roads

Full of holes, narrow, winding - this is how roads in Poland are most often described. A number of reports and analyses have been drawn up indicating where and when to build motorways, express roads and ring-roads in Poland. But these were wishful thinking ideas rather than a coherent programme based on real financial possibilities. Now the situation has changed: 2 years ago Poland joined the European Union and is now benefiting from EU grants for road infrastructure development. Yet the results are not satisfactory. Are we using EU funding wisely or are we wasting the EU resources? Or, maybe our needs exceed the available funding?

Cohesion and sectors

Poland was awarded around 2 billion euros by the European Union for the period of 2004-2006. These resources were allocated under two funds. These are:

  • Cohesion Fund for large road investments of transcontinental importance (motorways, express roads) and
  • Sectoral Operational Programme Transport (element of the European Regional Development Fund) co-financing smaller road investments of importance for the national transportation system.

Cohesion Fund assistance of nearly 1.2 billion euros has been allocated to three motorway projects, one express road and the reconstruction of National Road no.2 from Siedlce to Terespol.

The motorway projects include:

  • A2 motorway Konin - Emilia (completed),
  • A4 motorway Zgorzelec - Krzyżowa (contract concluded, construction in 2007-2008),
  • A1 motorway Katowice - Rybnik (tender closed, construction in 2007-2008).

The express road to be financed under the Cohesion Fund is the S8 road. It consists of three subprojects:

  • Radzymin ring-road (under construction),
  • Radzymin - Wyszkow (contract concluded, construction in 2007-2008),
  • Wyszków ring-road (under construction by the end of 2008).

The resources under the Sectoral Operational Programme were allocated to 11 separate contracts and a large project for reconstruction of 25 the most dangerous crossroads:

  • Construction of the S7 express road - Gójec ring-road: under construction, works commenced on 6 November, implementation period - 19 months, completion scheduled for 2008.
  • Construction of a ring-road around Kobylanka, Morzyczyb, Zieleniewo: under construction, completion scheduled for April 2007.
  • Reconstruction of the National Road No.7 between Jazowa and Elbląg: under construction, implementation period - 19 months, completion scheduled for February 2007.
  • Reconstruction of the National Road No. S22 between Elbląg and Grzechotki. Project divided into 3 sections:
    • Maciejewo - Grzecjotki - state border: under construction, implementation period -14 months, completion scheduled for 2007/2008,
    • Chruściel - Maciejewo: under construction, implementation period - 13 months, completion scheduled for 2007/2008,
    • Elbląg - Chruściel: under construction, completion scheduled for May 2008.
  • Construction of the A6 motorway between Klucz and Kijewo: under construction, completion scheduled for June 2007.
  • Construction of Hrebenne ring-road: under construction, implementation period - 25 months, completion scheduled for 2008.
  • Construction of Phase 1 of a ring-road around Puławy: under construction, implementation period - 25 months, completion scheduled for 2008.
  • Reconstruction of the National Road No. 68 between Kukuryki and Wólka Dobryńska: under construction, completion scheduled for December 2007.
  • Reconstruction of the National Road No.3 between Sulechów and Racula: under construction, commencement in August 2005, implementation period - 15 months.
  • Reconstruction of the National Road No. 7 to meet express road standards between Białobrzegi and Jedlińsk: under construction, commencement in August 2006, implementation period - 19 months, completion scheduled for 2008.

Project settlement

The above shows that Poland does use EU funding opportunities. All EU co-financed contracts are already concluded. This is a very important change, especially if we consider the absorption level of external funding in the period of 2000-2002. The year 2006 however is drawing to an end and the total sum of the EU money spent is still very small.

This happens for two reasons:

  • most of the projects are under implementation,
  • the financial perspective ends this year but the EU money may be spent by the end of 2008.

After all no one said while applying for EU funding in May 2004 that we would have completed all projects in a year and a half.

National Programme

Do EU co-funded investments really cover all road needs? The answer is No. To bring the whole road infrastructure in Poland up to European standards we should speak of hundreds of billions of Polish Zlotys while the total EU funding until 2015 is tens of billions of Zlotys.

This simple calculation shows that road improvement in Poland will take time and that it will not be until 2020 that we spot a significant change. Obviously, had it not been for EU financial assistance, construction of new roads the would last much longer. The year 2015 will anyway mark a civilization leap forward for Polish road infrastructure.

Today and in the coming years we need to facilitate resource management mechanisms for road development, improve legislation (fast and efficiently), reduce the period of project preparation and, finally, transform the road programme into a national programme. Our success will depend not only on the road industry but also on the banking sector as well as on the central and local administration.

AGP

www.gddkia.gov.pl