Warsaw. Plac Na Rozdrożu after reconstruction, stairs to nowhere were

The comprehensive modernization of Na Rozdrożu Square took a year. The road surface was replaced, the bike paths were rebuilt and asphalted. A completely new bike path was also created on the western side of the square. A revolutionary change was the appearance of elevators to bus stops on Trasa Łazienkowska. Before the renovation, bus passengers had only very worn-out stairs at their disposal. The stops are wider.

The square is already operating in its target traffic organization. You can still see workers and fences on parts of the square, but – as officials reported – it's just cosmetic.

There is no doubt that this part of the city has definitely changed for the better. Plac Na Rozdrożu is an important transfer hub. Therefore, the greatest advantage of its reconstruction was the elimination of architectural barriers, which for years made it difficult to move between stops. There are reservations about aesthetics. A few months ago, Warsaw residents saw dark elevator windows, some of which resembled outhouses. The clumsy, “motorway” barriers, which were replaced with old, openwork balustrades, also raised reservations.

This week, South Praga councilor Krzysztof Michalski called out road workers for taking to social media to draw attention to an unsightly promotional and information board placed in the central part of the square.

He also raised the issue of an unfilled underpass that had been fenced off. A note was attached to the barrier informing that the underpass was on the other side. The councilor wonders if anything can be done about it to make one of the most historically valuable areas of the city look better.

“We are glad that we managed to obtain funding for these works. The boards are mandatory and their design is imposed in advance. At the same time, we do not feel that decorating the elevator shafts with them would give them charm,” the Municipal Roads Authority wrote in its position under the post.

Road workers indicated that they considered planting the shafts with plants, but unfortunately everything indicates that none of them would survive. Currently, they are considering decorating the lifts murals.

ZDM also referred to the abandoned, inactive underpass. “This particular underpass is maintained because the 'Przejście' pub is still operating there and will continue to operate there. It is true that the entrance to it is from Aleja Szucha. However, at the moment there is a second entrance to the underpass, because it does not interfere with any element of the reconstruction (unlike the others), and covering it is an additional cost. Of course, this is not completely ruled out in the future,” the road workers wrote in a comment.

ZDM also noted that more greenery had appeared in the area of ​​the square than in the original design, especially in the lower level of the square, i.e. near the bus stops along Trasa Łazienkowska.

Finishing works at Na Rozdrożu Square are scheduled to last until the end of August.