Budimex has completed one of the important and symbolic stages of the construction of the Zabierzów bypass in the Małopolska Voivodeship – it has dug the T1 road tunnel through and through. The works included the removal of the last layers of soil in the facility, thanks to which the tunnel gained full structural continuity. The tunnel reached a length of 312 meters and was made in a two-aisle cross-section, with two carriageways with two lanes each. The building has a total width of 23.8 m and a height above the roadway of 5.5 m. The structure has been designed for class “A” loads and the passage of special vehicles compliant with the STANAG 2021 standard.
The tunnel was built in the area where the Zabierzów bypass is being built by Budimex SA and the S52 expressway, i.e. the Western Bypass of Krakow. The facility will enable collision-free traffic distribution and will be an important element of the new communication system of the Krakow agglomeration. The entire investment will relieve the center of Zabierzów, through which national road No. 79 currently runs, improving the safety and comfort of travel for residents and drivers.
The investment is being carried out using the technology of cavity walls, used primarily in conditions of limited space and with the need to limit the impact of works on the environment. The method consists in making slot walls constituting the final structure of the tunnel, then the ceiling and running a trench under its cover.
As part of the earthworks related to the construction of the tunnel, excavations with a total volume of over 129 thousand m³ are planned. The material from the construction site, after prior verification and testing, will be used, m.in, for road embankments and backfilling of bridge structures.
– The construction of the tunnel on the Zabierzów bypass is one of the most interesting stages of the entire investment. Such facilities require very high precision of execution and proper planning of works at every stage of implementation. We use solutions that allow us to carry out robots in a safe way and as least burdensome as possible for the environment – says Tomasz Wójcik, Contract Director at Budimex SA.
– Tunnels are difficult investments, but they are necessary investments. In Zabierzów, the over 300-metre-long structure will allow us to separate local traffic, which will go through Prof. Różańskiego and Krakowska Streets, from transit traffic, which will use the tunnel. We are glad that the fourth tunnel in our voivodeship has already been dug “through and through”. Both in this tunnel and on the entire construction site, it is clear that the end of the works is getting closer. – said Maciej Ostrowski, Director of the GDDKiA Branch in Krakow.
In recent months, intensive earthworks, paving, construction and bituminous works have been carried out on the construction site of the Zabierzów Bypass. Work is also underway on bridge structures and drainage and technical infrastructure. In the coming months, the works will focus on the construction of the bottom slab of the tunnel and the continuation of works in all industries along the entire length of the bypass.
The completion of the investment is scheduled for August 2027 and the value of the contract is PLN 549 million. PLN net.
