A long time to relieve Piaseczno

The article in today's Gazeta Stołeczna about the timing of Puławska Bis, the new road destined to link Węzeł Lotnisko (the junction of the S79 and S2 at southern end of Okęcie airport) with the S7 at Grójec, makes for depressing reading. The construction of this road would serve to bring blessed relief to the woebegone citizens of Piaseczno for whom the slo-mo grind along Puławska is a twice-daily ordeal. It now looks like they will have to wait until 2018 for this to happen. By which time, property prices in Piaseczno will have fallen to levels similar to those in Radom.

I have taken the liberty of using the map from the article, as it shows clearly what's happening around these parts. The blue roads are the S2 (east-west) and S79 (north-south) and under construction; the red roads are merely plans.

According to the article, there is local pressure for the highways authority (Generalna Dyrekcja Dróg Krzyżowych i Autostrad) to prioritise the building of Puławska Bis between Lotnisko and a new Lesznowola bypass. The populations of Piaszeczno and Lesznowola are expected to increase by 20% in the forthcoming five years.

GDDKiA (informally pronounced 'GDUCKuh') has not ruled out a 'Piaseczno first' variant, with a 2015 end-date. This would, I argue, give a Pareto-style outcome, in which 20% of the total investment spend would bring 80% of the solution. It would hugely relieve congestion on ul. Puławska. It would also massively reduce morning rush-hour traffic rat-running through Jeziorki. As the map shows, there's no alternative to Puławska other than a filigree network of back roads that were never designed to carry high volumes of cars, narrow roads without pavements, or even (in the case of ul. Poloneza) asphalt.

The local movement for an S7 now has a Facebook page (here) to which I will add my support.

The provision of this road will do much to enhance the quality of life of those living to the south of Warsaw, and indeed, those living in the south of Warsaw.

UPDATE MARCH 2023: the S7 is finally open (though with speed restrictions and with junction at Antoninów still not ready). Ten years and four months after this article was published.

This time last year:
New office - first impressions of the location we've just left

This time two years ago:
The topography of dreams

This time three years ago:
A regular interchange