Poland has inaugurated new sections of its S1 and S3 expressways, improving both international and domestic road connections and easing traffic in local towns.

Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Donald Tusk announced the opening of an 8.5 km section of the S1 expressway, the long-awaited Węgierska Górka bypass in southern Poland, which links the country with Slovakia and southern Europe.

The route connects the existing stretches between the towns of Żywiec, Przybędza, Milówka, and Szary, and includes two twin-tube tunnels, five viaducts, and three bridges.

The project, valued at 1.65 billion złoty (around $370 million), is part of the Trans-European Transport Network. Tusk described it as one of Poland’s most scenic and ambitious road projects.

“What I’m about to say may sound strange, but the Czech Republic has access to the sea,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says in a video on social media.

Residents of Węgierska Górka welcomed the bypass, predicting a 30-40% reduction in traffic through the town centre, particularly heavy trucks that previously numbered around 2,000 per day. Officials said the road will primarily serve local and tourist traffic.

New bypass connects Baltic coast to Czech border, easing traffic in western Poland

Earlier in the week, a section of the S3 expressway opened in north-western Poland, linking the coastal towns of Świnoujście and Międzyzdroje.

This allows uninterrupted travel from the Baltic Sea to the Czech border near Lubawka.

The new route is expected to improve freight and passenger traffic across western Poland and reduce congestion in local towns.

Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more