Budimex SA put Trasa Niepodległości in Białystok into operation
Budimex SA, together with the City Hall of Białystok, the investor, officially opened Trasa Niepodległości [Independence Route], the western ring road of the capital of the Podlasie region, on 28th August. Drivers can already use the modified Aleja Niepodległości and Aleja Paderewskiego which are now two-roadway streets running in an excavation with two lanes for each direction of traffic, two-lane cycling routes, and new pavements.
Budimex SA started construction work close to the end of 2016. Throughout that time, it focused on main communication routes and on redeveloping the relevant technical infrastructure. In total, the leading Polish construction company created 7.3 kilometre of main road in connection with the investment in question. The company also did some work related to roads intersecting with the two avenues. There are as many as 8 of them and each one, save for ul. Magnoliowa, was connected to the main road using a service lane with a roundabout.
“Trasa Niepodległości is an investment of strategic importance for Białystok. It will make it possible for people to conveniently travel between distant districts without having to drive through the city centre,” Artur Popko, Budimex SA Construction Director and Vice-President, said.
The construction work was divided into two stages. Stage 2, pertaining to Aleja Niepodległości and its adjoining roads, resulted in the creation of 5 flyovers as part of roundabouts and 4 overpasses for pedestrians and cyclists located close to Rondo Armii Krajowej and Rondo Wrocławska. It is also possible for drivers to make use of two tunnels - close to Rondo Popiełuszki and Rondo Hetmańska.
The 3rd stage of the investment will involve redeveloping Aleja Paderewskiego. Engineering structures at that section include a tunnel under railway tracks and flyovers, of which one runs above a train siding. Just like in the case of Aleja Niepodległości, there will also be cycling lanes and pavements at ground level.
The sheer scope of the investment completed by Budimex SA for the benefit of Białystok is illustrated by the numbers related to work performed. As part of the two stages of constructing Trasa Niepodległości, the contractor excavated 975 000 cubic metres of ground and used up 197 000 cubic metres of it for erecting the necessary embankments. As for construction work itself, just the substructure required the use of 285 000 m2 of crushed-stone aggregate and 193 000 m2 of asphalt concrete. Work regarding reinforcement is also impressive - 5 202 000 kilogrammes of material were used for it. “Work carried out as part of different disciplines is, in turn, best reflected by kilometres. In the vicinity of Trasa Niepodległości, we have created or altered 11.2 km of sewage and plumbing systems, over 36 km of storm drains, almost 44 km of lighting system cables, and 19.1 km of the power supply network.”