Controlled-access highways in Poland are part of the national roads network and they are divided into motorways and expressways. Both types of highways feature grade-separated interchanges with all other roads, emergency lanes, feeder lanes, wildlife crossings and dedicated roadside rest areas. Motorways differ from expressways in their technical parameters like designated speed, permitted road curvature, lane widths or minimal distances between interchanges. Moreover, expressways might have single-carriageway sections in case of low traffic densities (as of 2024, such sections constitute 3.5% of the highway network).
The development of modern highways began in the 1970s, but proceeded very slowly under the communist rule and for the first years afterwards – between 1970 and 2000 only the total of 434 km of highways were constructed (5% of the planned network).[1] Further 1050 km (13% of the network) were opened from 2001 to 2010, followed by 2773 km (34% of the network) constructed between 2011 and 2020.[2] It is planned to open about 3000 km (about 37%) in the 2020s, while the last 10% would be completed after 2030.
, there are 5142.5 km[3] of motorways and expressways in operation (62% of the intended network), while contracts for construction of further 1246 km[4] (15% of the network) are ongoing.
Except for the single-carriageway expressways, both types of highways fulfill the definition of a motorway as characterized by OECD, WRA or Vienna Convention. Speed limits in Poland are 140 km/h on motorways and 120 km/h on expressways (100 km/h in case of single-carriageway expressway sections). Some motorway stretches are tolled.
Formally, expressways are also allowed to admit a one-level junction with a minor public road in exceptional cases,[5] however in 2020 the last such remaining junction in Poland was reconstructed into a two-level interchange.[6] [7] [8]
| Maximum speed (km/h) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle | Motorway | 2-lane expressway | 1-lane expressway | |
| Private car, motorbike, van up to 3.5t (does not apply if towing trailer) | 140 | 120 | 100 | |
| Bus meeting additional technical requirements | 100 | |||
| Bus; a vehicle over 3.5t or towing trailer or carrying dangerous materials | 80 | |||
| Vehicle having equipment more than 1.5m forward of the driver's seat | 60 | |||
| Motorbike (including towing trailer) carrying a child up to 7 years-old | 40 | |||
| Not allowed on motorways: pedestrians, bikes, mopeds, agricultural vehicles. Minimal speed on motorways is 40 km/h unless there are any extraordinary circumstances (e.g., snow, ice, or a car broken down). It is forbidden to stop except extraordinary situations, or travel backwards. Towing is not allowed on motorways, but is permitted on expressways. | ||||
In 2004, the government published a document defining the planned highway network of length about .[9] Notable changes introduced in later amendments include re-routing S8 and adding S61 instead (a change related to the Rospuda Valley conflict),[10] introducing S16, S52 and A/S50,[11] as well as extending S5,[12] S8[13] and S10.[14] [15] [11]
The planned network consists of 16 major highways (over 200 km of intended length): A1, S3, S5, S7, S11, S17, S19, S61 running north to south and A2/S2, A4, S6/A6, S8/A8, S10, S12, S16, S74 running west to east, as well as 9 shorter highways:[16] [17] [18] [19] [20]
1) Highways and major sections completed | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign | Route | Location | Total length | Existing | Years of opening | ||||||||||
| Gdańsk (S6) - Grudziądz (S5) - Toruń (S10) - - - - | 566.6 km | 566.6 km | 100% | ||||||||||||
| Main section: - S3 - Poznań - - | 489.7 km | 454.9 km 34.8 km | 100% | mainly | |||||||||||
| Main section: Szczecin (A6) - - A2 - Zielona Góra - Legnica (A4) - | 368.7 km | 368.7 km of which 3 km near the Czech border remain closed until | 100% | 2010 – 2024 | |||||||||||
| - - - Opole - - - - - | 669 km | 669 km | 100% | 1983 – 2016 | |||||||||||
| Main section: - | 340.3 km | 340.3 km | 100% | 2012 – 2022 | |||||||||||
| Main section: Wrocław (A4) - Łódź (A1) - Piotrków T. - Warsaw - | 548.2 km | 525.5 km 22.7 km | 100% | 2008 – 2019 | |||||||||||
| Łódź | 40.2 km | 40.2 km | 100% | 2012 – 2023 | |||||||||||
| Main section: Warsaw (A2) – Lublin (S12/S19) | 150 km | 150 km | 100% | 2013 – 2020 | |||||||||||
| – | 76.5 km | 76.5 km | 100% | 2006, 2022/2023 | |||||||||||
| 52.2 km | single carriageway | 50% | 2008 | ||||||||||||
| Olsztyn (S16) – Olsztynek (S7) | 20.3 km | 20.3 km | 100% | 2012, 2019 | |||||||||||
| Warsaw | 4.8 km | 4.8 km | 100% | 2013 | |||||||||||
| Upper Silesia | 5.9 km | 5.9 km | 100% | 1985 | |||||||||||
2) Highways in development | |||||||||||||||
| Sign | Route | Location | Total length | Existing | Construction commenced | Of which under active construction | Scheduled years of opening[21] | Tender | In predesign | ||||||
| Katowice Airport (A1) - Mysłowice (A4) - Bielsko-Biała (S52) - | 144 km | 59% (64.9%) | 4.8 km + 3.7 km single carriageway | 2025 | |||||||||||
| + 0.5 km 1st carriageway | (65.3%) | + 0.5 km (reconstruction of the interchange in Dąbrowa Górnicza, 1 lane per direction is open to traffic) | 2024 | ||||||||||||
| (+ 39.5 km) dual carriageway road | (94.1%) | + 39.5 km (new route) | + 27 km (new route) | 2025, 2026 | |||||||||||
| Eastern section: | 168.2 km | 35.1 km | 20.9% | 100.8 km | 2024, 2025, 2029? | 32.3 km | |||||||||
| Northern section: – | 85.4 km | 50.9 km + 5.4 km 1st carriageway | 62.8% | 29.1 km + 5.4 km 2nd carriageway | 2024/2025 | ||||||||||
| 402.4 km | 28.1 km 228.4 km + 9.4 km 1st carriageway | 64.9% | 136.5 km + 9.4 km 2nd carriageway | 2025 | |||||||||||
| Gdańsk (A1) - Elbląg (S22) - Olsztynek (S51) - | approx. 709 km | 82.7% < | -- 334 km --> | 45 km (are open to traffic on the whole length of the reconstruction site) | 2025, 2027, 2032? | (reconstruction | |||||||||
| (+ 58 km) | (100%) | ||||||||||||||
| Warsaw - Radom (S12) - Kielce (S74) - Kraków (A4) | 91.6% < | -- 281.7 km --> | 23.6 km | 2024, 2025 | |||||||||||
| Kraków (A4) - Rabka-Zdrój - | 34.6%< | -- 91.8 km --> | 2030?, 2032?, 2038? | ||||||||||||
| (+ 25 km) | (62%) | ||||||||||||||
| Eastern section: Lublin (S17/S19) - Chełm - | 103.7 km | 29.2 km | 28.2% | 68.8 km | 14 km | 2025, 2027, 2030? | 5.7 km | ||||||||
Via Carpatia | - Białystok (S8) - Lublin (S12/S17) | 572.5 km | 18.5 km 1st carriageway | 2.9% < | --317.8 km--> | 229.9 km 2nd carriageway< | --13.7 on A2-Lublin, 4.8 north of Bialystok--> | 87.8 km 2nd carriageway | 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028? | 69.4 km < | --40.2 km: DŚU overruled--> | ||||
| 141.7 km | 94.8% (100%) < | --158 km--> | 16.3 km 2nd carriageway | 2026 | |||||||||||
| Rzeszów (A4) – | 11.4 km | 11.8% < | -- 96.6 km--> | 80 km | 42.6 km | 2025, 2026, 2027 | 5.2 km | ||||||||
part 2 | Kraków-Balice (A4) – Kraków‑Mistrzejowice (S7) | Kraków | 18.3 km | 5.8 km | 31.4% | 12.5 km | 2024 | ||||||||
Via Baltica | Ostrów Mazowiecka (S8) - Łomża - Ełk (S16) - Suwałki - | 210.7 km | 197.8 km | 93.9% | 12.9 km | 2024/2025 | |||||||||
3) Highways partially in development | |||||||||||||||
| Sign | Route | Location | Total length | Existing | Construction commenced | Of which under active construction | Tender | complete | In predesign | Planned [22] | |||||
| Southern extension: Wrocław (A8) - Kłodzko - | approx. 127.4 km | 5.1 km | 4% | 32.5 km | 36.3 km | approx. 53.5 km | 2027, 2033 | ||||||||
| Main section: - Bydgoszcz (S5) - | 297 km | + 17.5 km 1st carriageway | 19.8% | 40 km + 10.9 km 2nd carriageway | 112 km | 37.8 km | 2030 | ||||||||
| + 39.5 km | |||||||||||||||
| - | 556.5 km | 154.4 km + 10.5 km 1st carriageway | 28.7% | 92.1 km + 4.2 km 2nd carriageway | 25 km | 77 km | 2030 | ||||||||
+ 6.3 km 2nd c/w | |||||||||||||||
| Eastern section: Lublin (S12/S19) - Zamość - | 126 km | 9.6 km + 2 km 1st carriageway | 8.4% | 47.7 km | 44.3 km | 22.3 km | 2029 | ||||||||
| + 2 km 2nd c/w | |||||||||||||||
| Sulejów (S12) - Kielce (S7) - Sandomierz - Nisko (S19) | 207 km | 6.7 km | 3.2% | 108.6 km | 9.7 km | 92 km | 2032 | ||||||||
4) Planned highways | |||||||||||||||
| Sign | Route | Location | Total length | Existing | Construction commenced | Of which under active construction | Tender | complete | In predesign | Planned | |||||
| Eastern extension: | approx. 104.3 km | 14.3 km | 13.7% | approx. 90 km | 2033 | ||||||||||
| Western extension: Bolków (S3) – Świdnica – S8 | approx. 50 km | 0 km | 0% | approx. 50 km | 2031 | ||||||||||
| Western extension: | Szczecin | 50.8 km | 0 km | 0% | 1.5 km | 49.3 km | 2031 | ||||||||
| Eastern section: - | approx. 120 km | 0 km | 0% | 2033 | |||||||||||
| Western section: - Radom (S7) - Lublin (S17) | 185 km | 16.4 km + 6.0 km 1st carriageway | 10.7% | 29.1 km | 133.5 km + 6.0 km 2nd c/w | 2032 | |||||||||
| Olsztyn (S51) - Ełk (S61) - | approx. 245 km | 46.2 km 1st carriageway | 23% | 8.7 km + 20.1 km 2nd carriageway | 11 km | 77.5 km | 2037 | ||||||||
| + approx. 81.5 km | |||||||||||||||
| Marki (S8) – Lubelska (A2/S2) | Warsaw | 17.3 km | 3.5 km | 20.2% | 13.8 km | 2032 | |||||||||
| Warsaw (2nd ring road) | approx. 265 km | 0 km | 0% | < | -- S50 length excluding the part that is planned to be joint with S10 !--> | 2036 | |||||||||
| - | 98 km | 37 km | 37.8% | 61 km | 2032 | ||||||||||
| In total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highway type | Planned length | Existing | Construction commenced | Of which under active construction | Tender | Predesign complete | In predesign | No progress | ||
| approx. | 1853 km | 88.83% | 100.8 km | 100.8 km | approx. 132.3 km | |||||
| approx. | 3102.1 km + 177.6 km 1st carriageway | 52.22% | 945.8 km | 502 km | 317.1 km | 1.5 km | approx. 1562.1 km 2nd carriageway | |||
| Total | approx. | 4955.1 km 1st carriageway | 61.54% | 1046.6 km | 602.8 km | 317.1 km | 1.5 km | approx. 1694.4 km 2nd carriageway | 2nd carriageway | |
As of 2024, the operational sections of highways utilize the following cross-sections:
All single-carriageway expressways are constructed with allocated space for a possible upgrade to dual-carriageway and all bridges above such highways are prepared to accommodate the second carriageway. Most of those sections are planned to be widened to full profile by 2033, the exceptions being S1 (near the Slovak border) and S22 (near the border with Kaliningrad Oblast) where widening is currently not expected.[20]
Since 2023, almost all highways are free for vehicles up to 3.5 tons of permissible maximum weight[23] [24] (for a passenger car with a trailer, the joint permissible maximum weight of the car and the trailer must not exceed 3.5 tons[25]). On some sections, the old infrastructure for toll collection is still in place.
The privately-owned sections of A2 and A4 are tolled. In the closed system, there are toll stations on every interchange both entering and exiting the tolled section; the driver receives a ticket upon entering the motorway and pays on the exit, with the price dependent on the distance driven. In the open system, two toll stations are located at the ends of the section; a person driving the whole distance pays at both gates, while a person entering or leaving the motorway mid-section pays only at one gate. The following sections are tolled:
Using e-Toll is obligatory for buses as well as all vehicles with maximum permissible weight exceeding 3.5 tons (including the trailer) while driving on the Polish roads (not just the highways). More details can be found on the e-Toll website.[28]
Traffic volumes in Poland note rapid increase since the fall of communism in 1989: the annual average daily traffic recorded in 2020 amounts to over 360% of the average traffic recorded in 1990.[29] [30] With the increasing traffic, the length of overburdened single-carriageway national roads[31] had also been steadily increasing until reaching the maximum of 1389 km in 2010.[32] Due to the large number of highway sections opened between 2010 and 2020, in that decade the length of overburdened roads has fallen down for the first time in history, from 1389 km in 2010 to 1121 km in 2020.[30]
The latest general measurement was conducted in 2020, although some measurement days were moved to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic which would have caused the results from 2020 to be unreliable.[33] The following highways recorded the highest volumes:[34]
| Most busy highways in Poland (absolute numbers) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Section | Notes | |
| 1 | S8 in Warsaw (partially joint with S7) | 198'000 | Highest AADT on sections with 3 lanes per direction: 179k. S8 in Warsaw serves both the transit and local traffic, and long jams form on it during rush hours. |
| S2, Warsaw southern bypass (partially joint with S7 and S8) | 114'000 | From 3 to 5 lanes per direction. | |
| 2 | S86 | 113'000 | S86 serves mainly local traffic between Sosnowiec and Katowice and is not part of Poland's transit network. 3 lanes per direction. |
| 3 | A4 in Katowice | 105'000 | A4 serves both the transit traffic (2 lanes per direction) and local traffic (2 lanes per direction). |
| Most busy highways in Poland (per number of lanes) | |||
| No | Section | Notes | |
| 1 | S8 in Warsaw (partially joint with S7) | S8 in Warsaw serves both the transit and local traffic, and long jams form on it during rush hours. | |
| 2 | S6, Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia bypass | 93'000 / 2x2 lanes | Some decrease in traffic on S6 is expected after Tricity Outer Bypass (S7) is opened in mid 2025. |
| 3 | A4, Kraków western bypass | 85'000 / 2x2 lanes | Some decrease in traffic on A4 is expected after Kraków north-eastern bypass (S7/S52) is opened in mid 2025. Widening to 3 lanes per direction is planned in the future (after 2030). |
The other highest and lowest recorded AADT values were:
| Category | Section | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most busy regular national roads in Poland Note: Measurements are not performed on national roads within the borders of major cities | |||
| Most busy dual-carriageway national road | DK7 north of Warsaw | 63'000 | New parallel route of S7 is planned to be opened in the future (around 2032). |
| DK44 west of Kraków | 36'000 | Widening to 2 lanes per direction is planned in the future (after 2030).[35] | |
| within the planned highway network | DK19 north of Lublin | 28'500 | S19 is under construction, expected to be opened in mid-2026. |
| Least busy highways in Poland | |||
| Least busy single-carriageway highway | S22 near | 800 | The results cannot be considered fully reliable, because the measurement has been conducted while major restrictions in entering European Union via its external border were in force because of the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Least busy dual-carriageway highway | A4 near | 1'800 | |
| Least busy highway excluding near-border sections | 3'900 – 6'400 | ||
Motorways and expressways constructed before 1999 do not have to fulfill technical parameters listed in the ordinance. As of 2024, one notable case of a substandard highway remains:
Notable historical cases are:
The first plans of creation of a national highway network in Poland were conceived in the interwar period:
Plans
The main promoter of this concept was Professor Melchior Wladyslaw Nestorowicz of the Warsaw University of Technology, who organized three Road Congresses, during which a group of specialists discussed the creation of the network. On March 5, 1939, in the trade magazine Drogowiec, Professor Nestorowicz proposed a very ambitious plan for the construction of almost 5,000 kilometres of category I and II roads, based on similar programmes in Germany and Italy.[38] Nestorowicz sketched a map of the future system with the following routes:
First class roads would, according to the plans, consist of the following motorways (totalling some :
Second class roads would consist of the following motorways, totalling another :
In 1934, Nazi Germany started the construction of their motorway system, parts of which today form A18 and A4 to Wrocław (Breslau), as well as A6 (Szczecin bypass) and S22 (parts of the planned motorway to Königsberg). About half of them were constructed as single-carriageway with the intention of adding a second carriageway in later years. However, after 1938, warfare expenses meant little money would be invested into any infrastructure and only one 9 km single-carriageway piece west of Gliwice (now A4) was constructed.
| Signage | Section | Length | Start of construction | Opening | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krzyżowa – Krzywa | ||||||
| Krzywa – Wrocław | ||||||
| Wrocław – Brzeg (Owczary) | Southern carriageway only | |||||
| Ujazd (Nogowczyce) – Łany | ||||||
| Łany – Kleszczów (Gliwice) | ||||||
| – Szczecin-Zachód | ||||||
| – Iłowa | Southern carriageway only | |||||
| Iłowa – Golnice | ||||||
| Elbląg – Grzechotki | Western carriageway only | |||||
| Total | of which single carriageway | Note: Signage of the roads at the time of opening was different. | ||||
In Poland, a 28 km stretch between Warlubie and Osiek (now DW214) was constructed in 1937 – 1939 in the motorway standard of the time (today not considered a highway) with a concrete surface, which was designed by Italian engineer Piero Puricelli. The motorway was planned to reach Gdynia, but the outbreak of the Second World War halted the plans.
The Potsdam conference defined the borders for communist Poland, which were very different from the pre-1939 ones. It received the so-called Regained Territories from the former Third Reich with the aforementioned motorway sections (some of them with first carriageway only). Most of the motorway bridges were destroyed by the warfare, but only a few were repaired or rebuilt in the first post-war years. The bridge over Ina river was reconstructed in 1972, and those on S22 only between 1996 and 2003.
Apart from the bridges, almost all the motorways were left in the same condition as they were in 1945 until the mid-1990s. The only road left from Nazi times that was completed by the People's Republic of Poland was a one-carriageway small section between Łęczyca and Lisowo (15 km of what is now DW142), which was built on the previous works of Nazis.
Plans
At the post-war year there were very ambitious plans to make a motorway network for the whole Poland. For example, engineer Eugeniusz Buszma has published his propositions to the network in the magazine "Drogowiec" (1946, issue 1):
In total, the mileage, according to the proposal, would total more than .
After the addition of the sections built by the Third Reich the total network length had to be approx. 3700 km. In 1963 the Motorization Council at the Council of Ministers had presented the similar plan plus the motorways: Warsaw-Kraków-Zakopane, Kraków-Przemyśl, Warsaw-Bydgoszcz-Koszalin, Poznań-Koszalin i Warsaw-Terespol (approx. 1250 km).
Despite announcing such pompous plans, no motorway was opened in the meantime.
Only in the 1970s did any works start.
Plans
In 1972 it was planned to build:
The plans were expanded in 1976 by the following sections:
In 1973 – 1976, "Gierkówka" dual carriageway from Warsaw to Katowice was built. Originally planned as a motorway, it was in the end constructed by adding another carriageway to the existing road, hence going through many villages and crossing with local roads. The part from Piotrków Trybunalski to Częstochowa (78 km) was constructed on a new route in a motorway alignment, but nonetheless the majority of the crossings between the highway and the other roads were constructed as one-level intersections with no viaducts or overpasses.
| Signage | Section | Length | Start of construction | Opening | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piotrków Trybunalski – Częstochowa substandard (multiple at-grade intersections), constructed on motorway alignment, not signed as a highway | |||||
| Tri-city bypass (eastern carriageway) substandard (two at-grade intersections, then reconstructed when adding a second carriageway in the 1980s) | |||||
| Szczecin-Rzęśnica (end of post-German A6 motorway) – Goleniów substandard (two at-grade intersections) | |||||
| Total | of which single carriageway | ||||
Near the end of the 1970s the first construction of motorways started and continued to the next decade. The roads opened in the 1980s were the first motorways and expressways which generally meet the contemporary standards (at least with respect to their more important attributes), although in multiple cases the poor quality of their construction forced major renovations to be performed as soon as within the first 20 years of operation.[39] [40]
The major routes planned as motorways were A1, A2 and A4, while other main routes were planned as expressways. The implementation of these plans, however, came at a very slow pace: throughout the 1980s, only an average of of highways in the whole country were being opened per year.
average: 20.5 km / year | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signage | Section | Length | Start of construction | Opening | Notes | |
| Reconstructed 2019 – 2021 | ||||||
| Września - Konin | Renovated 2002 – 2003 | |||||
| Jaworzno - Kraków (Balice I) | Renovated 1999 – 2000 | |||||
| Kraków bypass | ||||||
| Dąbrowa Górnicza - Tychy | ||||||
| Tri-city bypass (to Straszyn) | Second carriageway | |||||
| Kielce bypass | First carriageway | |||||
| Katowice - Sosnowiec | First completely done expressway | |||||
| Total | of which single carriageway | |||||
In the III Republic of Poland, planned S3 was promoted to motorway A3 (the decision was later reversed) and a plan was introduced (also later reversed) of constructing motorway A8 Łódź – Wrocław – Bolków (now S8/A8/S5). Szczecin bypass (A6) and section Olszyna – Krzywa (then named A12, now A4/A18) were promoted to motorways, even though at that time the majority of their lengths was in bad shape, laid with the original concrete surface from the 1930s with no significant works having been performed on any of them throughout the whole communist period.
average: 15 km / year | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signage | Section | Length | Start of construction | Opening | Notes | |
| Katowice - Jaworzno | (Mysłowice - Jaworzno) | Northern carriageway was opened on | ||||
| (in Katowice) | ? | |||||
| Kraków bypass (section Tyniec - ul.Kąpielowa) | (to Skawina) | |||||
| A4 had a crossroad with ul. Kąpielowa till 2002, when the bridge was built over it. | ||||||
| - Zgorzelec | ||||||
| Krzyżowa - Krzywa | ? | Renovated | ||||
| - Podjuchy | Renovated | |||||
| Olszyna - Królów | ? | Northern carriageway added | ||||
| Golnice - Krzyżowa | Renovated both carriageways | |||||
| - Cieszyn-East | ||||||
| Sulechów - Zielona Góra | Western carriageway only | |||||
| Świecie bypass | Single carriageway; dual carriageway near the interchanges | |||||
| Miłomłyn bypass | Eastern carriageway only | |||||
| Radzymin bypass | ||||||
| Total | of which reconstructed, single carriageway | |||||
As of the beginning of 2000, the vast majority of national and international traffic routes were served by regular national roads with at-grade intersections and pedestrian crossings, most of them leading through the centres of cities, towns and villages, and most of them single carriageway. Only the following number of highways was present:
At the beginning of the 21st century, the tempo of highway construction started to increase. The main focus was on the west-east motorways A4 and A2. In 2002, a long-awaited renovation of the A4 from Krzywa to Wrocław (93 km) has started, which included laying new high quality surface in place of the Nazi German concrete slabs, reconstruction of all the pre-WWII bridges on the motorway and renovation of the viaducts above the motorway.
This is also the period when Poland started introducing motorway tolls, first in 2000 for the A4 section between Mysłowice and Kraków.
average: 57 km / year | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signage | Section | Length | Start of construction | Opening | Notes | |
| Poznań Komorniki - Września | ||||||
| Wrocław (Bielany) - | (to Brzeg) | |||||
| (to Opole-East) | ||||||
| (to Kleszczów) | ||||||
| Chorzów - Katowice Mikołowska | ||||||
| Kraków bypass (section ul.Kąpielowa - Wieliczka) | ||||||
| Śmigiel bypass | ? | First carriageway | ||||
| Straszyn - Rusocin | Second carriageway | |||||
| Białobrzegi bypass | ||||||
| Ostrów Mazowiecka bypass | ||||||
| Total | of which single carriageway | |||||
1 May 2004 was a crucial day for the history of motorway construction and that is when the length of highway constructions increased the most. One of the major advantages of signing the European Union access document was that Poland could get access to large funds for co-financing the construction of new roads and upgrades of the existing road infrastructure.
These years, the existing scattered pieces of highways began to converge into the basis of the future network:
A large number of expressway bypasses of towns were also constructed at this time. On many of them, only one carriageway was built, with the allocated space prepared for easy construction of the second carriageway later.
average: 151 km / year | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signage | Section | Length | Start of construction | Opening | Notes | |
| Sośnica - Żory | ||||||
| 2007 | ||||||
| Nowy Tomyśl - Poznań Komorniki | ||||||
| Konin - Łódź (Stryków) | ||||||
| Krzywa - Wrocław (Bielany) | –2006 (in sections) | Renovated both carriageways | ||||
| Gliwice (Sośnica) - Chorzów Batory | ||||||
| Gliwice bypass (Kleszczów - Sośnica) | ||||||
| Zgorzelec - Krzyżowa | ||||||
| Wieliczka - Targowisko | ||||||
| Szczecin Klucz - Szczecin Kijewo | Renovated both carriageways | |||||
| Olszyna - Golnice | Constructed the northern carriageway alongside the pre-WWII southern carriageway | |||||
| - Zwardoń - Milówka | 2002 - 2007 | 2004 - 2010 | then signed S69 | |||
| Żywiec - Przybędza | 2005 | 2007 | ||||
| Pyrzowice airport - Podwarpie | 2005 | 2006 | Single carriageway | |||
| Szczecin – Gorzów Wielkopolski | ||||||
| Single carriageway | ||||||
| Międzyrzecz bypass | ||||||
| Nowa Sól bypass | ||||||
| Szubin bypass | Single carriageway | |||||
| Słupsk bypass | Single carriageway; dual carriageway near the interchanges | |||||
| Jędrzejów bypass | Partially (2.7 km) single carriageway | |||||
| Nowy Dwór Gdański bypass | ||||||
| Elbląg bypass | ||||||
| Grójec bypass | ||||||
| Białobrzegi - Jedlińsk | ||||||
| Myślenice - Lubień | ||||||
| Kielce bypass (northern part) | ||||||
| Płońsk bypass | ||||||
| Skurów – Białobrzegi | ||||||
| Kraków eastern bypass (first fragment) | ||||||
| Oleśnica bypass | ||||||
| Wyszków bypass | ||||||
| Wyszków - Radzymin | ||||||
| Wrocław - Kobierzyce | ||||||
| Toruń bypass (fragment) | Single carriageway | |||||
| Kobylanka bypass | Partially (7 km) single carriageway | |||||
| Stargard bypass | ||||||
| Bydgoszcz bypass (fragment) | ||||||
| Wyrzysk bypass | Single carriageway | |||||
| Poznań - Kórnik | ||||||
| Ostrów Wlkp. bypass (northern part) | Single carriageway | |||||
| Piaski bypass | ||||||
| Puławy bypass | Partially (8.7 km) single carriageway | |||||
| Barczewo – Biskupiec | Single carriageway | |||||
| Garwolin bypass | ||||||
| Międzyrzec Podlaski bypass | Single carriageway | |||||
| Elbląg - Grzechotki / Kaliningrad Oblast | Single carriageway; constructed in place of a partially destroyed motorway from the 1930s | |||||
| Cieszyn - Bielsko-Biała (Komorowice) | 2002 - 2005 | 2005 - 2007 | Then signed S1 | |||
| Total | of which single carriageway, reconstructed | |||||
In the five years from 2011 to 2015, 1563 kilometers of motorways and expressways got opened – about as much as in the whole prior history of highway construction combined. The main focus was on developing connections between Poland's largest cities, especially those serving as host venues of UEFA Euro 2012, as well as on extending A4 towards Ukraine.
| Year | Length | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | |||
| 2012 | Of which were opened before Euro 2012 championship | ||
| 2013 | |||
| 2014 | |||
| 2015 | |||
| Total | Of which first carriageway, second carriageway | ||
The sections opened in 2011 – 2015 belonged to the following highways:
After the peak of investments before Euro 2012, very few new contracts for road construction have been signed in 2012 and 2013. This resulted in a small number of sections getting opened in 2015 and 2016, large share of which were the last delayed fragments originally scheduled for a Euro 2012 opening. In particular:
Since 2014, the number of signed contracts has risen again, resulting in the number of road openings having risen again since 2017.
| Year | Length | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | |||
| 2017 | |||
| 2018 | |||
| 2019 | |||
| 2020 | |||
| Total | Of which first carriageway, second carriageway | ||
The sections opened in 2016 – 2020 belonged to the following highways:
The high tempo of highway development continued in the 2020s. The main focus was on construction of new highways in the less populated eastern Poland, including the international routes Via Carpatia and Via Baltica.
| Year | Length | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | |||
| 2022 | |||
| 2023 | |||
| 2024 | Sections already opened, ongoing constructions with scheduled completion date in 2024[41] | ||
| 2025 | Ongoing constructions with scheduled completion date in 2025 | ||
| Total | Of which first carriageway, second carriageway | ||
The sections opened, or planned to get opened, in 2021 – 2025 belong to the following highways:
| Year | Length of motorways and expressways (end of the year) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 (then Nazi Germany) | 92 km | |
| 1937 (then Nazi Germany) | 104 km and 38 km first carriageway | |
| 1938–1945 (then Nazi Germany) | 133 km and 135 km first carriageway (further below not considered as a motorway until addition of the second carriageway) | |
| 1939–1945 (Poland) | 28km (today not considered as a highway) | |
| 1945–1976 | 133 km | |
| 1977 | 169 km | |
| 1978 | 169 km | |
| 1979 | 190 km | |
| 1980 | 190 km | |
| 1981 | 190 km | |
| 1982 | 190 km | |
| 1983 | 255 km | |
| 1984 | 278 km | |
| 1985 | 321 km | |
| 1986 | 327 km | |
| 1987 | 327 km | |
| 1988 | 348 km | |
| 1989 | 366 km | |
| 1990 | 381 km | |
| 1991 | 399 km | |
| 1992 | 399 km | |
| 1993 | 403 km | |
| 1994 | 405 km | |
| 1995 | 440 km | |
| 1996 | 453 km | |
| 1997 | 456 km | |
| 1998 | 490 km | |
| 1999 | 502 km | |
| 2000 | 592 km | |
| 2001 | 630 km | |
| 2002 | 639 km | |
| 2003 | 727 km | |
| 2004 | 781 km | |
| 2005 | 848 km | |
| 2006 | 1013 km | |
| 2007 | 1083 km | |
| 2008 | 1282 km | |
| 2009 | 1454 km | |
| 2010 | 1560 km | |
| 2011 | 1865 km | |
| 2012 | 2495 km | |
| 2013 | 2805 km | |
| 2014 | 3100 km | |
| 2015 | 3131 km | |
| 2016 | 3252 km | |
| 2017 | 3510 km | |
| 2018 | 3811 km | |
| 2019 | 4214 km | |
| 2020 | 4337 km | |
| 2021 | 4690 km | |
| 2022 | 4933 km | |
| 2023 | 5116 km | |
| 2024 | 5258 km (forecast) | |
| 2025 | 5776 km (forecast) | |
| 2026 | 6006 km (forecast) | |
| 2027 | 6180 km (forecast) | |
| 2028 | approx. 6500 km (plans) | |
| 2030 | approx. 7000 km (plans) | |
| 2033 | approx. 8000 km (plans) | |
| After 2035 | approx. 8200 km – full network (plans) |
