Warsaw. Kondratowicz waves? Road workers: only in pictures

Reconstruction of Kondratowicz was related to the construction of the Bródno and Kondratowicza metro stations. The second line of the underground railway runs along one of the most important thoroughfares of Targówek. Passengers have been able to travel by metro since autumn last year, and a week ago, drivers can use the street along its entire length.

On Friday, journalist Patryk Słowik suggested on Twitter that the road was uneven. “The contractor chose the theme “the waves of the Danube”, someone from the officials approved this work” – he noted. And attached photos.

To assess whether it was an optical illusion or a real problem, we sent Artur Węgrzynowicz, our experienced reporter, to the site.

– The street on the section between Chodecka and Łabiszyńska is undulating. The unevenness is most visible on the northern carriageway, in the direction of Łabiszyńska. At first I thought it might be an optical illusion, but looking at the painted lines separating the roadways and the curbs, you can see large unevenness – reports Węgrzynowicz. And he adds that there are not all lines on the roadway towards Chodecka yet, but the problem can be seen after laying the sidewalks. “Waving is also felt when driving,” he said.

Of course, there are no sudden faults or holes, the differences in levels are spread over longer distances

On the same day, Jakub Dybalski, spokesman for the Municipal Roads Authority, also visited the site. He also shared his findings. – I drove up and down the street, checking if there were any unevenness in the road. No, he assured.

In a commentary published on the ZDM website, he wrote that “Kondratowicza consists of hills and pits, but only in photos taken with a very strong optical zoom”. – You can clearly see slight differences in the grade of the road. For drivers, they are imperceptible – emphasized Jakub Dybalski.

He decided that the photos that appeared on the web suggesting fudge were taken in a specific way. – The photos are taken with a very strong approximation and in one image they show a distance of 200-300 meters – he noted. – It is enough to drive the new street once to know that the new surface is easy to drive. We check for all those who personally either do not want to or cannot verify it – explained the spokesman for road builders.

He was also tempted to juxtapose the photos circulating in social media with his own, taken from a slightly higher level, without zoom, “from the perspective of a pedestrian”. The road looks straight on them. – When juxtaposed, you can clearly see the difference that a strong approximation makes – concluded Dybalski.

He also noted that water from the road must flow into the drains.

– The gradeline of the roadway, i.e. the line connecting successive points in the longitudinal section, is not straight, which can also be seen in our photos. This arrangement helps the water run off to the drainage devices and is perfectly normal in this type of construction. On streets with a long straight course, this difference can be seen by using the perspective foreshortening. For drivers, however, it is imperceptible, because we are talking about a very long, usually several hundred-meter section, and the differences are measured in centimeters – explained the ZDM spokesman.

He noted that the works on Kondratowicza are going according to plan, but they are not finished yet. – The works were planned until the end of June and they will last, although we also announced that we would hand over the part related to the roadway earlier – he pointed out. The works concern e.g. bike paths and greenery.

Our reporter is not convinced by these explanations. – Inequalities are visible to the naked eye. You don’t need a camera to notice that the lines separating the lanes are uneven at some point. When driving a car, it is noticeable, but not so much that – driving in accordance with the regulations – you lose control over the steering wheel – reserved Artur Węgrzynowicz. – Working as a city reporter, I move around Warsaw a lot. Such bumps on new roads are not the norm, he concluded.