Budimex completed a month ahead of schedule and commissioned the A-18 motorway on the section from Iłowa to the border of the Lubuskie and Lower Silesian Voivodeships. It is one of the main roads in Poland of industrial and tourist importance thanks to the connection of Ukraine, Slovakia and southern Polish with Dresden and Berlin. The investment consisted in a comprehensive adaptation of DK18 to the parameters of the motorway. The scope of the investment included the reconstruction of the Iłowa Junction, as well as the construction of 5 bridge structures, including 2 viaducts, 1 bridge and 2 animal crossings. For the construction of the surface itself, approx. 85 thousand m3 of concrete. The gross value of the contract amounted to PLN 209.7 million.
The reconstruction carried out by Budimex concerned the southern roadway of national road No. 18 and its surroundings and was aimed at adapting them to the applicable standards of the EU road network and improving road safety. The works during the reconstruction consisted mainly of replacing the degraded surface and adjusting the load-bearing capacity of the road to the normative load, taking into account the forecast intensity. During the implementation of the investment, nearly 29 thousand m3 of material from the demolition of the existing concrete surface was reused. The material was properly prepared, and the crumble was used to make the basic foundation of cement concrete. Both the basic substructure and the concrete surface were to a large extent produced and made with our own resources.
National road No. 18 is located in the third trans-European road transport corridor. It connects the A-4 motorway with the border crossing in Olszyna. The old national road No. 18 was built by the Germans in the 1930s. The It was a fragment of the Berlin-Wrocław motorway.
– For years, as a general contractor, we have been involved in key investments, taking into account the needs of the Polish infrastructure. It is no different in this case, as the DK18 road, which as a result of reconstruction was adapted to the parameters of the motorway, was referred to as “the longest staircase to Europe” due to the structure worn out over the years, which was in many respects a challenge for both vehicles and drivers. We are glad that with our participation, this sensitive route has changed its face and has become more comfortable and, above all, safer for road users – says Damian Nowakowski, Contract Director at Budimex S.A.
Statistically, Budimex constructs every fourth kilometre of expressways and motorways in Poland. The completion of the A-18 ahead of schedule is in line with the dominant trend when it comes to the projects entrusted to Budimex, as 80% of them are delivered ahead of schedule. In August this year. the construction of the 4-kilometre Szczecin bypass was completed 7 months ahead of schedule, and in September a 16.8-kilometre section of the S-11 expressway between Koszalin and Zegrze Pomorskie, which is part of one of the most important infrastructure investments in Poland.
