That's it - Karczunkowska's closed.

As promised, I was there with my camera to capture for local posterity the moment the last train passed the level crossing at W-wa Jeziorki. At two minutes past midnight, running nine minutes late, the train from Radom to W-wa Wschodnia crossed ul. Karczunkowska...

...and for the very last time the barriers were raised to let a vehicle through, a van carrying the barriers that would be erected to close the roads off to traffic. More on this in a moment.

I had a chat with the level crossing keeper, who said that the hut would still be manned until Monday, with the barriers permanently lowered. On Monday, a team from PKP PLK, the rail infrastructure operator, will come and remove all the viable equipment (some of which can be seen in the two shots below taken from both side windows).

The shots have the flavour of an O. Winston Link photo - all that's missing is a Norfork & Western freight train hauled by a massive steam engine hammering through. By Monday, all that will be left here will be an empty shell, to be demolished as it stands directly in the path of the viaduct.

I met Dr Marcin, who was distressed that ul. Buszycka and ul. Nawłocka had both been completely closed off by the road-builders' barriers. Now, given that ul. Buszycka is a cul-de-sac, this would have meant its inhabitants would have had their cars stranded. Below: the barriers in place. To get your car into ul. Buszycka would have meant dismantling this barrier as well as the one at the entrance to Buszycka itself (next turning on the right). A number of local residents were none too happy with this arrangement.

By the cold light of day, however, common sense had prevailed; the barriers at the mouths of ul. Buszycka and Nawłocka had been completely taken down and left to lie by the side of the road. The barrier across Karczunkowska had been partially dismantled, allowing access to Buszycka. If you click to enlarge this photo, you will see the level crossing barriers are down; they will remain down until finally removed. You can also make out on the right the path the new pavement will take - from ul. Nawłocka all the way to the station, all 380m of it. Progress!

Below: the temporary bus loop off the access road to Biedronka. The 209 is waiting to depart. Biedronka will suffer a massive drop in turnover, as few shoppers from Zgorzała, Zamienie and Dawidy Bankowe will do the 10km detour to come here. Commuters passing through will shop elsewhere on their diverted drive home,

While Jeziorki will lose the 715 and 319 buses, the number of 209s running in rush hours will rise from two to three and there will also be two L39s an hour throughout the day, although they will turn south onto ul. Puławska, requiring a clumsy change to catch a bus towards town.

The biggest question is: how long before the viaduct is completed and open? As I wrote, it took three years and two months to complete the viaduct carrying ul. Poloneza over the S2 expressway. But this is a more important road. Word from Ursynów town hall is that ul. Karczunkowska will reopen on 24 December ["W związku z przebudową trakcji na skrzyżowaniu z ul. Karczunkowską przejazd zostanie zamknięty od godziny 20.00 w dniu  20 sierpnia br. do dnia 24 grudnia br."] No mention in that sentence of the viaduct being opened - just that the overhead power lines will be in place by Christmas.

As usual with road closures, there are two types. Both are advertised with adequate signage. One type is hermetic - like on Baletowa or Krasickiego. You will not pass. Turn your car around and go back. The detour may be 10km long. But you cannot avoid it. The other type looks like the first - except you can drive right through, unhindered, slowing down for a bit of rough road surface. Because you can't tell until you get right up to the closure, there were many motorists driving up ul. Karczunkowska (2km ) to see there's no way across, then driving back (2km).

This time last year:
What happened to Poland's Amish?

This time two years ago:
PKP publishes plans for upgrade of Warsaw-Radom line

This time three years ago:
World's largest ship calls in at Gdańsk

This time five years ago:
Raymond's Treasure - a short story

This time six years ago:
Now an urban legend: Kebab factory under W-wa Centralna

This time seven years ago:
It was twenty years ago today

This time nine years ago:
By bike to Czachówek again