What's happening at the Ramp

A regular check to see how the site is developing. The ramp itself is untouched, most of the piles of aggregate underneath the pillars have been taken away by lorry for use elsewhere. That's it, no more will ever be delivered. The large number of rubber tyres in the foreground were removed from the embankment where, covered with earth and grass, they were used to prevent soil slippage. Many of these tyres date back to the 1950s. What roads they'd have travelled over! Meanwhile, the cycling photographer I met here a few weeks ago has had his pictures from here posted on Panoramio. It takes a long time (six plus weeks), but it's worth it. It's good to see that this site has been documented for Google Earth.

Above: The view from the end of what's left of the embankment. Behind me the ramp. Ahead, the embankment has been levelled with the ground. (Compare to this view, taken on 23 May) A large area, ripe for development, remains. What will be built here? A few weeks ago, I talked to an old guy who's allotment is visible to the left of the picture. He says there are plans to build houses, a retail centre, a hospital (!) and linking it all, the fabled Puławska Bis, the long-mooted relief road running parallel to ul Puławska, which is now so choked with traffic that reasonable progress along it is limited to 20:30 - 06:30 on weekdays. Above: This new embankment (in Polish wał) looks like it's being built as an acoustic barrier between the railway line and a housing estate. I guess that bushes and trees will be planted along the top of this embankment. Note the second embankment to the left. Will Puławska Bis run between the two? Is it wide enough?

Above: Is this the future alignment of Puławska Bis? The rails at the far end of the marshalling yard for the old Rampa have been lifted; it looks suspiciously like preparations are in place for building a dual carriageway to link Nowa Iwiczna to ul. Wirażowa near the airport. I can foresee problems with this road (how and where will it cross ul. Baletowa, for example). My guess is this first bit will be built quickly, dumping tens of thousands of cars onto ul. Karczunkowska, from which a goodly percentage will rat-run down ul. Trombity, Kórnicka, Jeziorki, Poloneza and Poleczki (Connoisseurs of hypocrisy please note: 'my shortcut' is another man's 'rat-run'.)

Above: The levelling of the rampa embankment (12.5m at its highest) means new vistas of the Las Kabacki forest and Ursynów beyond are opened up. I can see the estate agents' blurb now: "Overlooking the green expanses of the Las Kabacki, the Flowers of the Field estate offers luxurious country living within a stone's throw of Central Warsaw..."

Gaze on it in wonder while you still can; the Rampa is still with us - though for how long before its finally dismantled and the steel sold for scrap? Come and see it, photograph it, document it - you will not see its likes again. Right: The Rampa as seen from the junction of ul. Nawlocka and ul. Achillesa. One last pile of aggregate awaits its final customers at the near end of the ramp; the Soviet-era KAMAZ and Czech Avia trucks will have to look for new loads to transport once this lot's gone.