Drivers can now use the new, almost 19-kilometer long section of the S7 expressway from Moczydło to Miechów in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. As the Ministry of Infrastructure emphasizes, the route was marked out on a new track, on the eastern side of the old Krakow route from the beginning of the 19th century.
– The S7 expressway will connect the former and current capital of Poland next year. Each subsequent section of this route that road workers make available to drivers increases travel safety and shortens the travel time between Krakow and Warsaw. It is also a big change for the inhabitants of many towns through which the national road currently runs. For them, the new trail means improving the quality of life in their small homelands, he said President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda.
– Another section of the S7 expressway opened to traffic means that the driving time between Krakow and Warsaw will be shorter and the journey will be safer and more comfortable. We are fast approaching the moment when the two largest Polish cities will be connected by a beautiful, modern road – said the Minister of Infrastructure Andrzej Adamczyk.
Drivers can now use the new, almost 19-kilometer long section of the S7 expressway from Moczydło to MiechówGDDKiA
New route
“The route was mostly routed along a new track, east of the existing DK7. The S7 expressway from Moczydło to Miechów runs through the charming agricultural areas of the Miechowska Upland. To compensate for the difference in height, the road was routed in excavations in some places and on embankments in others” – we read in the MI statement.
“A 400-meter-long viaduct was built in Małoszów, which runs, among others, over the Nidzica River, and at its highest point it is almost 20 m high. A total of 24 engineering structures were built along the entire route: bridges, viaducts and an overpass. The road has two lanes in each direction. A provision has also been made for the possible construction of a third lane in the future. Entry to this section is possible thanks to two junctions – Książ and Miechów. As part of the investment, two Passenger Service Areas were also built: Małoszów and Tochołów. Several dozen crossings were also built on the new section of S7 animals” – lists the ministry.
As we read in the announcement, the contractor for the task was INTERCOR. The total investment cost was PLN 1,051 million, including construction works of PLN 860 million. The construction of the new section of S7 received almost PLN 586 million in EU funding under the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Program.
Which episodes are still in production?
MI adds that thanks to the opening of the Moczydło – Miechów section, the total length of the expressway sections north of Kraków has more than doubled, to 31.8 km. The second functioning part of this route is the 13-kilometer section between the Szczepanowice and Widoma junctions, opened in October 2021. There are still 23.6 km of the route in progress:
• 5.3 km between the Miechów and Szczepanowice junctions – opening planned in the second half of 2024.
• 18.3 km from Widoma to the Kraków Nowa Huta junction – opening planned in the second half of 2024.
At the end of 2024, the journey between Warsaw and Krakow will take less than 3 hours, almost twice as short as when the old DK7 route running through Radom and Kielce was in operation.
Main photo source: GDDKiA