- Sustainable development is based on creating opportunities for people in every part of Poland, so that they can live, function, work, educate themselves, so that they have access to cultural goods, to everything that is important. This is what a modern state is about and this is what the real implementation of the principle of sustainable development is about. We should bet on communication, because it is the foundation of national development - said President Andrzej Duda.
The 100 ring roads programme is to provide equal transport opportunities for every part of Poland. Its priorities are safe roads, reduction of traffic and noise in congested cities, clean air and improvement of road network capacity.
- It is necessary to strengthen the accessibility of those parts that are distant from administrative and commercial centers, the main centers of Poland - argued Marek Kuchciński during the press conference in Rzeszów.
In Podkarpacie, the following have been earmarked for implementation: Przemyśl, Sanok, Piast Place, Jaslo Kolbuszowa, Nowa Deba, Pilzno, Brzostek and Kołaczyce.
One of the most important outcomes of the program will be improving traffic safety.
Most accidents occur in built-up areas (71.2% of the total). Many accidents involve pedestrians and cyclists. All kinds of traffic converge in urban areas: freight traffic of trucks and delivery vans, passenger traffic - buses and cars, urban transport, cycling and walking. This is why it is so important to lead traffic out of urban areas.
National roads with heavy traffic, including trucks, run through the built-up areas of the towns. National roads often run through city centers. These roads are usually the only river crossing in the whole town or city area, which is a result of historical infrastructure development. The construction of bypasses and traffic separation will improve the traffic situation on the existing road network and in the vicinity of national roads. Traffic flow will improve, the capacity of the national road network will increase, traffic jams and congestion in cities will be reducedespecially at critical locations (downtown roads, major intersections, bridges and overpasses).
An important effect of the construction of ring roads is also reduction of pollutants In cities, where many vehicles emitting various types of pollution are concentrated in a relatively small area with heavy congestion. Automobile transport is a significant source of
pollution in urban areas. This has a significant impact on the health of residents. Displacement from road transport contributes to reduced life expectancy as well as diseases, especially those related to the respiratory or circulatory system. Through the construction of bypasses around towns there is also noise reduction on their premises. Exposure to noise can cause sleep disturbances, resulting in poor health
inhabitants. It also affects in the long run the deterioration of well-being, increase in blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases.
Construction of city bypasses will ensure efficient operation of road passenger and freight transportThe project will also improve road safety and the quality of life of the inhabitants. Expansion of the national road network through construction of bypasses will positively influence the factors that determine the efficient functioning of the state and development of its regions. Improvement of the capacity of the main arteries is one of the key elements, which may increase the dynamics of development of both the regions and the whole country through easier, faster and cheaper movement of goods and services. Implementation of the investments planned in the program will also satisfy the inhabitants' expectations for safe and fast communication. Construction of ring roads will improve the functioning of cities most affected by inconveniences resulting from transit traffic.
The Program for 2020-2030 defines the objectives and investment priorities for construction of city bypasses on the national road network. It also indicates the sources of necessary financing and a list of investment tasks to be performed. Investment tasks related to construction of new bypasses will be performed by the General Director of National Roads and Motorways.
The currently implemented National Roads Construction Program for 2014-2023 (with an outlook until 2025) provides for the construction of 43 bypasses with a total length of 447.5 km and a value of PLN 11.3 billion.
So far, by the end of 2019, 15 bypasses have been put into service under the PBDK, while a total of 64 bypasses with a total length of 500 km have been built under previous investment activities. Moreover, construction of bypasses of large cities and agglomerations is carried out as part of the expansion of the freeway and expressway network (bypasses in Łódź, Bydgoszcz, or Rzeszów). These tasks are implemented independently from the new program of building 100 bypasses.
For some of the bypasses the documentation necessary to start the investment has already been prepared, for others the preparatory process is underway. There are also tasks for which preparations are just beginning. For several bypasses announcement of tender procedures is planned still in 2020.
The cost of implementing 100 bypasses was estimated at nearly PLN 28 billion.
The construction will be financed from the National Road Fund, which is operated by Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego. The KFD receives funds from a fuel surcharge, loans and borrowings, mainly from international financial institutions, and bonds. KFD account
The revenues from the Electronic Toll Collection System will also contribute to the KFD. EU funds from operational programs within the perspective of 2014-2020 and 2021-2027 will also be an important source of revenues for KFD.
The bypass program is based on long-term national strategic documents such as:
✔️ Strategy for Responsible Growth,
✔️ Sustainable Transportation Development Strategy,
✔️ National Strategy for Regional Development,
✔️ National Highway Traffic Safety Program,
✔️ National Urban Policy 2023,
and European Union documents:
✔️ Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth "Europe 2020",
✔️ "White Paper" Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area - Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system,
✔️ Regulation (EU) No 1315/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on Union guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network and repealing Decision No 661/2010/EU.
