On Tuesday, April 20 this year. a contract was signed between the investor – the Maritime Office in Gdynia and the contractor – Budimex S.A. for the performance of construction works under the project entitled. “Construction of a waterway connecting the Vistula Lagoon with the Gulf of Gdańsk – part II”.
“Today we are signing another important contract that will allow us to continue work on the waterway connecting the Gulf of Gdańsk with the Vistula Lagoon and in Elbląg. This investment is extremely important for the future of Polish,” said Minister of Infrastructure Andrzej Adamczyk.
The scope of work under the contract includes the reconstruction of the existing fairway on the Elbląg River in terms of bank support, which will ultimately take over the flood protection functions of the earth embankments, the construction of low marinas to facilitate access to the river and the construction of a swing bridge over the Elbląg River in Nowakowo, along with changes to the road system.
“The Spit ditch will create an opportunity for economic development for all ports of the Vistula Lagoon, and will also significantly shorten the current route through the Piława Strait by almost one hundred kilometers. Thanks to the agreement signed today, the Elbląg River fairway will be modernized and a swing bridge will be built in Nowakowo,” said Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Marek Gróbarczyk.
The gross value of the contract is PLN 574,073,648.82 , and the time provided for its implementation is 24 months.
“The signing of the contract for the second part of the investment is another milestone in the implementation of the programme for the construction of a new waterway connecting the Vistula Lagoon with the Gulf of Gdańsk. For the Maritime Office in Gdynia, this is a particularly joyful moment when we can inaugurate another construction of infrastructure providing access to Polish ports – in this case to the port of Elbląg. At the moment, the role of maritime transport and ports as transshipment centers is particularly important and crucial in maintaining the continuity of the supply chain. Each new shipping route contributes to the increase in efficiency, competitiveness and building the logistical advantage of the Polish economy,” said Capt. Wiesław Piotrzkowski, Director of the Maritime Office in Gdynia.
The contract on the part of Budimex S.A. will be signed by President Dariusz Blocher, who stated that:
– Hydrotechnical investments, such as the second stage of the construction of the sea route to the port of Elbląg, are necessary in Poland. River regulation, improving the navigability of waterways and water retention are a normal part of the investment landscape in the European Union. Budimex has extensive experience in the implementation of such construction projects. In 2020, we successfully completed the construction of the largest flood control reservoir for the upper Oder River in Racibórz. We are currently implementing hydrotechnical contracts on the Oder, in the seaports of Gdańsk and the Żelazny Most reservoir for KGHM near Lubin. The works will strengthen the river’s quay, provide additional flood protection and enable ships to moor on the Elbląg River. All work will be carried out with respect for environmental requirements and local communities. Eighty percent of the neighbors of our construction sites positively assess the cooperation with us as a general contractor.
The contract in numbers:
- reconstruction of the existing fairway on the Elbląg River on a section of about 10.4 km long and the width of the fairway measured at the bottom on the river is 60 m, and in the area of Nowakowo 40 m, in terms of bank support (the main scope of work is to strengthen the river banks using, among others, sheet piling walls and ground anchors, but without dredging works)
- construction of ground anchors with a total length of 202,000 m
- Reinforcement of the banks with a steel sheet piling wall over the length of the bank of 13.3 km (wall penetration depth from -14 m to -21.5 m above sea level; the total area of the walls is 234,000 m2, the total weight of the walls is 37,400 tons of steel)
- reinforcement of the banks with a reinforced concrete diaphragm wall over the length of the bank 1.7 km (wall depth up to -20 m above sea level; total area of diaphragm walls is 64,390 m2; wall thickness 0.8 m)
- the total area of the new walls and banks of the Elbląg River will amount to over 300 km2
- construction of a swing bridge over the Elbląg River in Nowakowo, about 650 m from the existing pontoon bridge. Parameters of the newly designed facility: length 104.3 m, span span 2 x 51.5 m
- 2 km road works
As a reminder, the entire investment entitled. “The construction of the waterway connecting the Vistula Lagoon with the Gulf of Gdańsk consists of three parts.
The progress of the performance of the contract currently being implemented (part I) is 52%. It includes the construction of a protective port from the side of the Gulf of Gdańsk, a shipping channel with a lock and the construction of closures along with waiting stations from the side of the Gulf of Gdańsk and the Vistula Lagoon and navigational markings, technical buildings with installations, parking lots and a viewpoint. As part of this part, a new road system will also be built, with two movable steel bridges with a vertical axis of rotation, which will enable passage over the canal. An island is being built on the Vistula Lagoon where the excavated material will be stored, and ultimately it will be a habitat for birds. The contract is being executed by a consortium of N.V. Besix SA, NDI S.A. and NDI Sp. z o.o.
The third part, integrating the entire investment, is dredging works on the Vistula Lagoon and the Elbląg River. The announcement of a tender for this part is planned for the fourth quarter of 2021.
The total length of the new waterway from the Gulf of Gdańsk through the Vistula Lagoon to Elbląg is nearly 25 km. The passage through the Vistula Lagoon alone will be just over 10 kilometers, on the Elbląg River – over 12 kilometers, and the remaining approx. 2.5 km is a section consisting of a lock and an external port as well as a berth. The canal, as well as the entire fairway, will be 5 m deep.
The new waterway will be available to vessels with embankment parameters:
- 100 m long
- 20 m wide
- 4.5 m draught,
for monohull units and
- 180 m long for a pusher set plus two barges with the same maximum width and draught
