Poland highway construction boom

[Chris]

These maps show the progress of the 'fast roads' (motorways & expressways) in Poland in 2002 (left) and 2022 (right).

The Polish high-speed roads are divided into two classes:

* Autostrada (motorway): 140 km/h speed limit
* Droga ekspresowa (expressway): 120 km/h speed limit

Both are controlled-access highways with shoulders and interchanges. Expressways tend to have a higher density of exits. Motorways can be toll roads, though not all are.

Poland had only a few isolated stretches of motorway in 2002, most of it actually built in the 1930s when those western areas were a part of Germany. Very few motorways were constructed during the communist regime (1947-1989).

Now look at it today! Many long-distance routes have been completed over the past decade. EU funding contributed up to 85% of the construction cost and Poland has by far made the most out of the EU funding opportunities (this is in stark contrast with Czechia, which saw little progress 2010-2020).