the last Reichsautobahn

[agentsteel53]

I posted some photos from my trip to Europe last November.  specifically, A15 in Germany and 18 in Poland, between Cottbus and Legnica.

https://www.aaroads.com/blog/2012/06/07/the-last-reichsautobahn/



this segment of road was built in 1938 and hasn't been modified since!

[KEVIN_224]

I noticed the cobblestone exit ramp picture from Poland had an American-looking STOP sign! Nice!

[Takumi]

Love the lighting, even if it obscures the road somewhat. Excellent work as always.

[agentsteel53]

I noticed the cobblestone exit ramp picture from Poland had an American-looking STOP sign! Nice!

yep!  as I recall, the visibility at that intersection is poor: ramp traffic has to struggle to see traffic coming from the right.  so, a yield is not appropriate.  the stop sign is Polish standard - I believe by now all European countries use the US-style red octagon.

[JREwing78]

It's hard to see how rough the Polish side is from the picture you have. This one shows the condition more clearly: https://ssl.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#view=photo&position=1591&with_photo_id=40671765&order=date_desc&user=4330700

Still, astoundingly good condition for 75 year old pavement! A bit of diamond grinding and patching would probably breathe some life into it; it's clear Poland doesn't have the funds to do something more substantial.

[nexus73]

I think the Nazi-built section of autobahn was the only section of freeway within the Warsaw Pact boundaries not including East Germany. 

Rick

[agentsteel53]

It's hard to see how rough the Polish side is from the picture you have. This one shows the condition more clearly: https://ssl.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#view=photo&position=1591&with_photo_id=40671765&order=date_desc&user=4330700

thanks for the better photo!  I really should have stopped and gotten a good pic, especially of the cobblestone.

Still, astoundingly good condition for 75 year old pavement! A bit of diamond grinding and patching would probably breathe some life into it; it's clear Poland doesn't have the funds to do something more substantial.

they do; they just don't consider it to be all that important.  their A4 freeway takes a slightly different angle out of Legnica to get to Germany, and for them that is currently sufficient.

[agentsteel53]

I think the Nazi-built section of autobahn was the only section of freeway within the Warsaw Pact boundaries not including East Germany. 

Rick

as of the 1955 ratification of the Pact, I believe you are correct.  But I know Hungary had some freeways by the early 80s, as I remember riding on freeway-standard M1 and M3 (and maybe M0 and M5 as well??) around 1983-84.

I do not know about other Warsaw Pact countries - my only distinct memory is a trip to Prague and that was all on two-laners... but that may have been due to my dad's shunpiking tendencies!