Expressway S3 (Poland)
Expressway S3 or express road S3 (in Polish droga ekspresowa S3) is major road in Poland which is planned to run from Świnoujście on the Baltic Sea through Szczecin, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Zielona Góra and Legnica, to the border with the Czech Republic, where it will connect to the D11 motorway. The total planned length is 480.7 km (298.7 mi), of which 367.8 km (228.5 mi) is open to traffic (of which 7.3 km one carriageway) and 56.3 km (35.0 mi) is under construction (as of January 2020).
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| Droga ekspresowa S3 | ||||
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| Route information | ||||
Part of  | ||||
| Length | 367.8 km (228.5 mi) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| From | Świnoujście | |||
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| To |  | |||
| Location | ||||
| Regions | West Pomeranian Voivodeship Lubusz Voivodeship Lower Silesian Voivodeship | |||
| Major cities | Szczecin, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Zielona Góra, Legnica | |||
| Highway system | ||||
National roads in Poland
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Motorway A3 was planned to be built along this route before, but the decision was made to build a lower standard "express road" as the traffic density was judged too low to justify an autostrada. Nonetheless, S3 shares the crucial properties of an autostrada, including physical separation, restricted access, all but one interchange being grade-separated, and (upon completion) at least two continuous lanes in each direction as well as emergency lanes (hard shoulder).
The section from Szczecin (A6 motorway) to Jordanowo (A2 motorway) is completed since 2017. The section from Jordanowo (A2 motorway) to Legnica (A4 motorway) is completed except for a delayed fragment near Polkowice which is planned to open by mid-2020 as a dual-carriageway road and by mid-2021 as an expressway.
The section from Legnica to the Czech border is in realisation, with contracted completion by 2023. The section from Świnoujście to Szczecin is partially in realisation and partially under tender, with planned completion by 2024[2].
Route
| Motorway section | Length | Constructed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Świnoujście – Troszyn | 34.5 km (21.44 mi) | Tenders ongoing | Planned to complete in 2024 |
| Troszyn bypass | 5.1 km (3.17 mi) | Constructed 2009 – 2011 | |
| Brzozowo – Miękowo | 15.5 km (9.63 mi) | Under construction | Planned to complete by 2021 |
| Miękowo bypass | 4.8 km (2.98 mi) | Constructed 2009 – 2012 | |
| Miękowo-Rzęśnica | 21.8 km (13.55 mi) | Constructed in the 1970s, reconstruction in progress | Planned to be modernized by 2021 |
| Rzęśnica-Dąbie(Szczecin) | 4.6 km (2.86 mi) | Constructed in the 1930s, reconstruction in progress | Planned to be modernized by 2020 |
| Dąbie(Szczecin)-Klucz | 10.6 km (6.59 mi) | Concurrency with | |
| Klucz-Pyrzyce | 28.2 km (17.52 mi) | Constructed 18.02.2008-26.05.2010 | |
| Pyrzyce-Myśliborz | 26.8 km (16.65 mi) | Constructed 02.11.2007-22.10.2010 | |
| Myśliborz-Gorzów Wielkopolski | 26.7 km (16.59 mi) | Built 2008-2010 | |
| Gorzów Wielkopolski bypass | 11.8 km (7.33 mi) | Single carriageway constructed 2003-2007;
Second carriageway opened October 2017 |
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| Gorzów Wielkopolski-Międzyrzecz | 37 km (22.99 mi) | Constructed 14.07.2011-15.05.2014 | |
| Międzyrzecz bypass | 6.37 km (3.96 mi) | Single carriageway constructed 2004-2016;
Second carriageway opened October 2016 |
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| Międzyrzecz-Sulechów | 43 km (26.72 mi) | Constructed 2010-21.08.2013 | Opened in 4 segments:
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| Sulechów-Nowa Sól | 44 km (27.34 mi) | Single carriageway constructed 1985 – 1995 and 2006 – 2008; Second carriageway constructed 2015 – 2018 | |
| Nowa Sól-Kaźmierzów | 33.3 km (20.69 mi) | Opened June 2018 | |
| Kaźmierzów-Polkowice | 14.4 km (8.95 mi) | Under construction | Original contractor ejected from the construction for extensive delays. |
| Polkowice-Legnica | 33.5 km (20.82 mi) | Opened June 2018 | |
| Legnica-Bolków | 35.84 km (22.27 mi) | Opened October 2018 | |
| Bolków-Kamienna Góra Północ | 16.2 km (10.07 mi) | Design-and-build contract signed October 17, 2018 | Planned completion in first half of 2023 [3] |
| Kamienna Góra Północ-Lubawka | 15.3 km (9.51 mi) | Design-and-build contract signed October 17, 2018 | Planned completion in second half of 2021 |
History
Initial route plans (autostrada A3)
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| Route information | |
Part of  | |
| Time period | 1993–2001 (planned only) |
| Major junctions | |
| From | Szczecin |
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| To | |
| Location | |
| Regions | West Pomeranian Voivodeship Lubusz Voivodeship Lower Silesian Voivodeship |
| Major cities | Szczecin, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Zielona Góra, Legnica |
| Highway system | |
| National roads in Poland | |
The autostrada A3 was a planned motorway from 1993[4][5] to 2001[6] that was supposed to be built in western Poland. It was planned to begin in Szczecin, link Zielona Góra, Bolków and end in Lubawka on Polish-Czech border.
Some road maps published in 1990s had an approximate route of the motorway, which in some places was different than planned nowadays route S3, most notably the autostrada was supposed to form north-eastern bypass of Legnica[7] while S3 was constructed as its western bypass.
One legacy of the road having been planned as an autostrada is that it was being built on a completely new alignment some distance away from the parallel DK3 road from the beginning. This is akin to how most expressways in Poland are constructed nowadays, but in contrast to the standards of the 2000s when most of the expressways were constructed by upgrading existing roads.
Świnoujście – Szczecin
One section of S3 east of Szczecin (19 km) was constructed in the 1970s in an expressway standard of those times (e.g. some one-level interchanges). As of 2019, this section is under reconstruction to meet contemporary standards.
S3 south of Szczecin overlaps with A6 motorway (see History of construction).
Szczecin – Legnica
A single carriageway was constructed in years 1985 – 1995 on the section Sulechów – Zielona Góra (27 km). Several short sections (bypasses of towns) were constructed in years 2001 – 2008. The first large section of S3 was the 82.0 km from Szczecin to Gorzów Wlkp. This stretch was opened to traffic in 2010.[8] The stretch between Gorzów Wlkp. and Sulechów (80.6 km) was completed in 2013 / 2014.
In August 2013 tenders for the expressway between Nowa Sól and Legnica (junction with A4)[9] were announced, as well as for adding second carriageway on the remaining stretches (Sulechów – Nowa Sól and Gorzów Wlkp. bypass)[10]. They were completed in 2017 / 2018.
Legnica – border with Czech Republic
Signing the contracts for construction of all four stretches between A4 at Legnica and the Czech border was planned for 2014, however in 2013 it was announced that the section will not enter construction before 2017. As the reason, the officials cited delays in preparations in the Czech Republic, which meant that the connecting motorway on the Czech side of the border might enter into construction in 2018 at the earliest[11][12] (currently, it is expected that the section will enter into construction in 2024/2025 rather than 2018[13]). Some of the money allocated for it has been re-purposed to build the S2 expressway in Warsaw.
Later the decision was partially reversed, and in 2014 two tenders were opened for the section between Legnica and Bolków. This part (35.8 km) was constructed in years 2015 – 2018.[14]
Two remaining contracts for the section from Bolków to the Czech border were signed in October 2018, with the completion dates of November 2021 and June 2023.[15]
References
- Of these 15.2 km shared with A6 motorway.
- https://www.gov.pl/attachment/b5bf6875-68fb-44d4-85b0-fa6ef771427d
- www.gddkia.gov.pl: Ostatni fragment S3 połączy Świnoujście z polsko-czeską granicą.
- Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 28 września 1993 r. w sprawie ustalenia kierunkowego układu autostrad i dróg ekspresowych [Decree of the Council of Ministers on September 28, 1993 on establishing a directional arrangement of motorways and expressways], Dz. U. z 1993 r. Nr 92, poz. 424
- "Map of planned network of motorways and expressways in Poland in 1993". Archived from the original on 13 January 2014.
- Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 29 września 2001 r. w sprawie ustalenia sieci autostrad, dróg ekspresowych oraz dróg o znaczeniu obronnym [Decree of the Council of Ministers on September 29, 2001 on establishing a network of motorways, expressways and roads of defensive importance], Dz. U. z 2001 r. Nr 120, poz. 1283
- Mapa samochodowa Polski 1:700 000 [Road map of Poland 1:700 000] (in Polish). Szczecin: Wydawnictwo Kartograficzne KOMPAS. 1996–1997. ISBN 83-904373-2-5.
- www.gddkia.gov.pl
- http://www.ceeconstruction.com/news/194512/Tenders-called-for-S3-expressway-in-Dolnoslaskie-region.shtml
- http://thebestinpoland.com/budimex-mirbud-and-mostostal-warszawa-bid-in-tender-for-s3-ring-road/
- Południowa obwodnica Warszawy zamiast trasy S3 do Czech , Gazeta Wyborcza, Dec. 9, 2013
- https://gazetawroclawska.pl/zamiast-s3-bedzie-obwodnica-warszawy-rzad-zabral-nam-pieniadze-a-wina-obarcza-czechow/ar/1019597
- https://zdopravy.cz/revize-slibu-ministru-za-ano-d11-do-polska-bude-hotova-o-ctyri-roky-pozdeji-nez-sliboval-tok-37609/
- Polish Council of Ministers decision from March 4, 2014
- https://www.gddkia.gov.pl/pl/a/30617/Wybor-najkorzystniejszej-oferty-S3-Bolkow-Lubawka-granica-panstrwa
See also
- Autostrada (Poland)
- European route E65
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