Recent studies on the project to add a new exit of expressway S-7 from Warsaw to Gdansk are described. Development of motorways and expressways network is a great transportation problem in Poland, especially between outside urban roads and areas in great agglomerations. A new exit from Warsaw to Gdansk, in standard of expressway, is necessary. Presently, only one national road exists (R.N. No7), which is already saturated. Problems concerning development of road networks in great agglomerations are very large and linked with numerous and strong conflicts of various nature. New exit toGdansk is a part of program of expressway network development in the agglomeration of Warsaw (in frames of Varsovian Transportation Node), which was worked out and co-ordinated by GDDKiA Division in Warsaw and the City ofWarsaw during recent years. Formation of new arteries in dense urban structure in Warsaw is difficult because of very high environmental requirements. New exit passes nearby protected areas such as: The Kampinoski National Park and the area of the Central Vistula River Valley ("Natura 2000"). The NW part of Warsaw is covered by high density housing and industrial zones. A part of the S-7 expressway corridor crosses by the infrastructure ofairport of general, medical and sport aviation as well as airport for VIPs, the location of which cannot be changed. Neighbourhood of high density housing zones and the necessity of protection of existing urban structures cause that the new course of expressway will be compatible with these conditions. Project of new exit from Warsaw to Gdansk as well as particular sections of expressway that local communities protested against was commented by the mass-media. It should be noticed, that the participation of society in the procedure of choosing variants of investment is guaranteed by law. Current procedure of planning expressways in Poland is compatible with the obligatory procedures in European Union. This is an expression of changes, which were effected in Poland from the 1989 transformation period. All the above mentioned problems concerning the project of S-7 expressway construction are presented in this paper. For the covering abstract see ITRD E139491.
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