Work on the S51 road (Olsztyn bypass), which is being created in the “Design and Build” system, is progressing faster than expected. Budimex has completed most of the works, which cover over 16 km of the Olsztyn East – Olsztyn South route. The ten-kilometre section from the Jaroty junction to the Olsztyn East junction is planned to be put into operation later this year, i.e. a few months ahead of schedule. The six-kilometre section from the Jaroty junction to the newly built section of the S51 will be submitted to traffic by Budimex by May 2019.
As part of the investment, three road junctions were created – Jaroty, Pieczewo and Olsztyn East. The investor of the bypass is the Olsztyn Branch of the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways. The project is co-financed by the Cohesion Fund. The total value of the contract is over PLN 1 billion gross. Works related to the construction of the Olsztyn bypass began in July 2016.
Scope of work on the S51
In addition to the main route, the works carried out by Budimex also include the construction of three road junctions – Olsztyn Jaroty, Olsztyn Pieczewo and Olsztyn East, service roads and the renovation of sections of selected local roads.
The project assumed the creation of two roadways with two lanes in each direction with a bituminous surface and 23 bridge structures: 12 viaducts over the expressway, 3 viaducts along the expressway, 2 bridges, 2 animal crossings, 1 railway viaduct, 1 footbridge. The contract also included the construction of road body drainage facilities, road ditches, rainwater drainage, retention reservoirs, lighting, power grids, and teletechnical equipment. Budimex was also responsible for the creation of the Traffic Management System.
Momentum and modernity of construction
The numbers accompanying the contact are impressive. During the earthworks and preparation of the sites, Budimex removed approx. 400 thousand. m3 of hummus, i.e. a layer of plant soil, made over 2 millionm3 of excavations and laid a total of approx. 500,000m2 (350,000 tonnes) of bituminous pavement. There were also approx. 7 thousandm2 of acoustic screens. During the bridge works, 2 million tons of steel structure were made, 650 thousand tons of prestressing steel, 7.5 million tons of reinforcing steel and 38 thousand m3 of structural concrete were used. The biggest engineering challenge was the bridge over the Łyna River, which is a single-span steel structure with a reinforced concrete structure. ” This bridge, 138 m long, was built on a boggy area, so it required great precision in planning and executing construction activities ,” says Dariusz Blocher. In the investment, Budimex also used modern construction solutions, e.g. composite reinforcement, which, as more resistant to negative environmental factors, does not require costly repairs, related to, for example, corrosion of the structure. In turn, drones were used for geodetic measurements.
” We are performing all activities in accordance with the deadlines included in the contract, which provide for the completion of the entire contract in June 2019 ,” says Dariusz Blocher, President of Budimex SA. – The work is still ongoing, m.in. due to subsidence of the ground, which is very unstable in the vicinity of Bartąg. We have replaced 1 million m3 of soil to strengthen the road structure, but we have to wait until the surface is completely settled and the necessary work can be completed. I am convinced that drivers will appreciate the investment, which will make traveling in this region of Polish much easier. It is also an extremely important undertaking from the point of view of the city, because it will allow to move a significant part of the transit out of Olsztyn and reduce the load on internal streets. This long-awaited road will certainly play a strategic communication role,” says Dariusz Taraszkiewicz, Director of the Budimex Region for the Province of Budimex. Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.
The Olsztyn bypass is not the only investment of Budimex in the province of Olsztyn. Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. The company is also building ul. Towarowa in Olsztyn, the value of which is approx. PLN 103 million, is building a viaduct over the railway line in Ostróda and reconstructing national road No. 53 in Szczytno.
