The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending EUR 160 million for the construction of 15.8 km of the western section of the DTS Expressway that will complete this high capacity transport connection between the cities of Katowice and Gliwice.
The new highway section will pass through Chorzow, Swietochlowice, Ruda Śląska and Zabrze. It will play a significant role as a collector-distributor for local traffic in the conurbation. In the future, the expressway is expected to be connected to the east and west with the A4 motorway, which is designed to bypass the Greater Katowice area to the south.
The construction of 12.3 km of the eastern part of the expressway representing the first phase of the project was also financed by the EIB; this was opened to traffic in December 2006. An additional section of 3.2 km in Ruda Śląska is currently under construction.
EIB Vice-President Marta Gajęcka commented: “The EIB supports projects that help to improve the quality of life and strengthen the competitiveness of the Polish regions. This new expressway will enhance transport capacity and safety in the densely populated Upper Silesia region where numerous cities are gradually merging to form a single conurbation with more than two million inhabitants”.
Note for the Editor:
The prime objective of the EIB, the European Union’s long-term financing institution, is to contribute to the integration, balanced development and economic and social cohesion of the Member States by financing sound investment.
Investment in Polish transport infrastructure is important for removing bottlenecks and barriers to the efficient movement of people and goods, enhancing safety and safeguarding the environment. Since 1990, the Bank has provided some EUR 5.5 billion for the rehabilitation and extension of the Polish transport network. The EIB has co-financed sections of the A1, A2, A4 and A6 motorways and major national roads along the Pan-European Corridors II, III and VI in Poland.