A18 autostrada (Poland)

Autostrada A18 is a short, planned motorway in southwestern Poland which is to run from the Polish/German border at Olszyna/Forst-Bademeusel (connecting with the German Bundesautobahn 15) to the Polish Autostrada A4. The highway is part of the European route E36 and the Pan-European corridor IIIA from Berlin to Wrocław.

Autostrada A18
Route information
Part of E36
Maintained by GDDKiA
Length7 km (4 mi)
78 km (48 mi) planned
Major junctions
From Bundesautobahn 15 at border with Germany at Forst-Bademeusel/Olszyna
To A4 motorway near Krzyżowa
Location
Major citiesŻary
Highway system
National roads in Poland
A8 A50

After completion, the A18 should be 78 km (48 mi) long. The stretch currently opened and signed as A18 from Golnice to the A4 is 7 km (4.3 mi) long. The remaining 71 km (44 mi) currently exists as a dual-carriageway road not up to motorway standards and not officially signed as such: the west-bound carriageway (constructed 2004 – 2006) is of a motorway quality, while the east-bound carriageway is in a very bad shape with most of its surface still being the concrete slabs laid in the 1930s. Its full modernization to motorway standard along the entire length is planned for years 2020 – 2023.[1]

Construction

Reichsautobahn from 1930s (south carriageway)
End of A18 direction west

The 1930s (southern carriageway, eastbound)

The motorway had its beginning as a single-carriageway part of Reichsautobahn 9 (Berlin-Breslau) built by Nazi Germany in the 1930s,[2] completed between 1936 and 1938. This route had all the features of an autobahn, built according to the standards of the time, including all the exits, viaducts and bridges, except that only a single carriageway was actually constructed along most of its length and space was left for constructing the second carriageway at a later time.

The road existed in this state until the early 1990s, when the first 17 km (11 mi) at its eastern end was rebuilt with new concrete carriageways and first signed A18 (later, in August 2009, the section signed as A18 was shortened to 7 km, while the other 10 km of the road were re-signed as A4 after the completion of a missing stretch of that motorway[3]). In 1995, the second carriageway was constructed on the 7 km stretch at the western end.[4]

2004 – 2006 (northern carriageway towards Germany)

Between 2004 and 2006, the missing, northern (now westbound) carriageway was completed on its whole length[5] and most of the overpasses and bridges were reconstructed. By June 2007, the road had two carriageways in use. However, the older of the two (carrying eastbound traffic towards Wrocław) is in a very poor shape, as it still has a surface made of concrete slabs laid in the 1930s. Due to poor road conditions, the speed on that carriageway is limited to 70 km/h.[6]

Reconstruction of the southern carriageway was originally intended to proceed shortly afterwards, but did not start due to delays caused, in part, by changes in the motorway project required by new environmental protection rules (A18 passes through Natura 2000 protected areas).[7] On 15 July 2010, the environmental impact decision for the revised project was issued,[8] which would have allowed for the contract bidding procedure to be completed and for construction to start in 2011. However in December 2010, the Polish government announced significant cutbacks to its funding for road construction, which delayed the project for some years. In 2014, when the National Program of Road Construction for 2014 – 2023 was created, the government did not envisage it starting in the near future.

2018 – present (reconstruction of southern carriageway)

In 2018, the ministry amended the National Program of Road Construction for 2014 – 2023 by including reconstruction of A18 on the primary list. The whole stretch is planned to be reconstructed to modern standards by 2023, and it will then be officially designated as an Autostrada in its entirety.[1]

Exits

Number of exit (facility) Exit (facility) Mileage from beginning First carriageway state Second carriageway state Notes
1) Krzyżowa 0 km Done Terminus
(1) No name (Lipiany) 1.1 km (0.68 mi) Rest area: Petrol and gas station, parking, restaurant, TIR and car wash eastbound only
2) No name 4.5 km (2.80 mi) From here officially signed as (westbound carriageway done)
3) No name (Luboszów) 21.3 km (13.24 mi) Done Has environmental decision (2-laned road built by 1930-s motorway standards)
26 km (16.16 mi) Entrance to województwo Lubuskie
4)(2) No name (Iłowa) 37.7 km (23.43 mi) Exit to rest area as well as to the road: TIR, car wash, parking, restaurant and petrol station
5) No name (Rusocice) 50.4 km (31.32 mi)
6) No name (Krolów) 65.5 km (40.70 mi)
(3) No name 69.2 km (43.00 mi) Rest area: Petrol station, parking; restaurant and motel westbound only)
7)(4) No name (Olszyna) 74.4 km (46.23 mi) Exit to rest area as well as to the road: parking, petrol station only eastbound
Border
/
75.1 km (46.66 mi) Forst ( A 15)

See also

References

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