On 13 November this year, the consortium of Budimex and Gülermak (consortium leader) signed a contract with the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) for the construction of a 5.2-kilometre section of the S19 expressway, in the design and build formula, which will be part of the international Via Carpatia route. As part of the contract, the longest tunnel in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship will be built. The gross value of the contract is PLN 1,909,653,720.00, and the investment is to be completed within 59 months from the date of signing the contract.
The section between Jawornik and Lutcza will be implemented in the “Design and Build” system. The most important elements of this section will be a two-aisle tunnel with a length of almost 3 km, running under the Kamieniec mountain, and a flyover with a length of 780 m, the pillars of which will reach a height of up to 36 m. The tunnel under the Kamieniec Mountain will be drilled with a new TBM shield with a diameter of nearly 15 meters and will become the longest road tunnel in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship and one of the longest in Poland.
– The route of the Jawornik-Lutcza section runs through areas with a complex geological structure, consisting of flysch sediments, such as conglomerates, sandstones and shales. Specialist geological surveys have shown high variability of ground conditions and the presence of landslide areas, which we will have to secure during construction. The choice of Budimex as the contractor for such a complex project is a good testimony to our many years of experience,” says Artur Popko, President of Budimex SA.
The project provides for the construction of a dual carriageway section of the road with two lanes in each direction and an emergency lane. In addition, modern elements of road infrastructure will be built, such as the Jawornik Motorway Service Area (in the direction of Barwinek), traffic management system devices, passages for small animals and special environmental protection installations. As part of the task, the existing roads colliding with the new route and the technical infrastructure of the adjacent area will also be rebuilt.
– Gülermak has once again been selected to implement a strategic and technically demanding infrastructure project in Poland and the world. Our experienced staff has completed hundreds of kilometers of tunnels and engineering structures. The conclusion of this contract is not only a confirmation of our 15-year presence on the Polish market, but also a proof of our unique competences. In Poland, we have already drilled tunnels in the city or under rivers, now it’s time for a tunnel under the mountains! – says Bülent Özdemir, CEO of Gülermak SA.
The planned section of the S19 is part of the Via Carpatia route, a key transport corridor connecting Lithuania and Poland (the ports of Klaipeda and Gdańsk) with the Greek ports of the Aegean Sea and Istanbul. The Via Carpatia route is to run through eight countries: Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey.
In Polish, Via Carpatia will be about 700 km long, connecting five voivodeships: Podlaskie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Mazowieckie, Lubelskie and Podkarpackie. In the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, the S19 route will ultimately reach a length of about 169 km,
Of which 81.8 km is already available to drivers, and further sections are under construction.
The construction of the Jawornik-Lutcza section by the Budimex and Gülermak consortium, with the longest tunnel in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, is the last section of the S19 between Rzeszów and the border with Slovakia that was not implemented. The S19 will facilitate international transport on the Via Carpatia route and strengthen the logistics potential of the Polish economy.
