Hills... I gotta have hills.

Central Mazovia is pancake-flat. The horizon is at the same level whichever way you turn. In this, it's like Iowa, where to quote Bill Bryson "if you stand on two telephone directories, you have A View". Which generally, I don't mind from a flashback-familiarity point of view, those big skies remind me of the prairies... But the flatness means that hills are at a premium - even temporary, man-made hills...

Seeking a higher vantage point is instinctive in animals. Felusia's favourite place in the kitchen for example, is perched on top of the coffee machine - the highest point in the room - an ideal spot from which to observe human activity. Scrambling to the top of a man-made hill around these flat terrains to have a look around, a rest and a beer, has been a pleasant local activity in recent years, made possible by the civil engineering works going on in the neighbourhood.

Gone now is the ballast mountain (across the tracks opposite from the Jeziorki end of ulica Kórnicka). It stood here between 2016 and 2020 when PKP PLK was modernising the Warsaw-Radom railway line, and afforded good views to the north and south-east. Below: looking across at Jeziorki, the 'up' line awaiting new rails.

Gone too are the highest soil mountains that once stood astride the S7 extension works. Below, the one next to Węzeł Zamienie, between Jeziorki and Dawidy Bankowe. Photo taken on 3 May 2021 - amazing progress since then. Sadly, without this view-yielding mountain.

Below: view from the top of the soil mountain at the northern end of the S7 extension, where it meets the S79. 

Alas - these high places, and the views from them - have gone. These were favoured places of mine to scramble to the top of and enjoy a beer around sunset - the golden time of day.

It seems that hills are at a premium - even modest ones. Between Zgorzała and Zamienie, all the hills associated with the S7 extension works have been levelled with the ground - with two exceptions. Both are on private land (situated on either side of the expressway); both are now fenced in. Presumably the owners simply asked the builders not to remove them - and the builders happily obliged. Win-win.Builder saves costs of removal, landowner has a Feature. Below: the hill on the east side of the S7. Plant a few trees, make a path, bench at the top, make good - nice. [There are also two such man-made hills, leftovers from civil-engineering works, by the ponds in Jeziorki. The local 'ziggurats'.]

But there's still one range of soil hills remaining, west of the railway tracks a little way north of W-wa Jeziorki station. 

Sadly, although extensive in area, they are not very high (about four-and-half metres at the highest), but they are easy and safe to climb.

Below: the view is OK, nothing spectacular (certainly not when compared to the 12-metre-high hill that stood next to where Węzeł Zamienie now is, second photo from the top), but at least it's here and above ground level. But for how long? Until a new viaduct extends ul. Dawidowska across the railway? If so, it will be a while.

Below: my brother has rendered my photo taken from the Ballast Mountain looking north (seen originally here) in the style of German artist Anselm Kiefer, catching the atmosphere of the late afternoon in winter with a light frost and a dusting of snow.

The end-of-day pilgrimage requires a destination; the destination requires a vantage point, a spot for contemplation while watching the setting sun. 

The motorbiking season is soon to start, and with it the opportunity to explore further afield, beyond the reach of public transport.

This time last year:
Flashback to a Dream - subconsciousness and memory

This time 11 years ago:
'Old school' = pre-war

This time 12 years ago:
Britain chooses a coalition government

This time 13 years ago:
Landing over Ursynów

This time 14 years ago:
On being assertive in Poland

Łady road works

I hop on a passing 715 bus and get off at Jaworowa for a walk home via Falenty Nowe, Łady and Dawidy Bankowe. The weather - the atmosphere - flashback-perfect. I am transported back to rural America in the early 1950s. Below: ulica Jaworowska, between Jaworowa and Falenty Nowe.

Below: ul. Hrabska Droga (lit. 'Count's Road Street'), looking down ul. Grudzi. 

It's been six weeks since the 715 bus stopped going to Nowy Podolszyn, while the junction in the centre of the village of Łady (pron. 'Wuddy') has been closed for a remont. Now it's nearly done.

Below: looking towards Łady from the west. Note the 'no entry' signs... These are on top of the three further back (behind me). It's quite clear that the road is closed.

And yet. Yesterday, the driver of this Jaguar has ignored all eight 'no entry' and 'road closed' signs that he passed. Furthermore, he drove over the zebra crossing as it was being painted. The car went around the roundabout and could not leave, as the northern exit was closed off; he did a U-turn, tried the southern exit - also closed off. Another U-turn. Frustrated, with no way out, he had no alternative but to drive back the way he came - once again crossing the freshly-painted zebra crossing. Twat. Cham.

This is where we are; it's nearly ready. New asphalt before the traffic. A lovely warm day, temperature at last hitting 20C.

And here we are back in May 2007 - 15 years ago, the same place. The Marian shrine that formed the centre of the roundabout has gone, there's proper lighting and road markings, pavements and cycle path have been set up. The Ikarus buses - now but a memory - have been replaced by hybrid buses on the 715 route. Good that the little shop is still there

Taking advantage of today being a public holiday and a Sunday, I figured that there'd be no security around the S7 extension today, giving me a chance to cross over the new footpath/cyclepath, still unfinished (needs on-ramps at either end, hand rails, asphalt and marking). Here's the view looking north towards the road viaduct. Note the plastic barrier blocks in red and white; until the footbridge is open, this is the current route for pedestrians and cyclists. To the right, the highways maintenance depot nears completion.

This time last year:
S7 extension works
[Amazing how much progress has been achieved in a year!]

This time two years ago:

Back to the działka after eight weeks locked down

This time three years ago:

Vol 2. of Bevis's Betjeman biography

This time four years ago:
New roads and rails

This time five years ago:
The Gold Train shoot - lessons learned

This time six years ago:
The Network vs The Hierarchy in politics

This time seven years ago:
45 years under one roof

This time eight years ago:
Digbeth, Birmingham 5

This time nine years ago:
Still months away from the opening of the S2/S79 

This time ten years ago: 
Looking at progress along the S79  

This time 11 years ago:
Snow on 3 May

This time 12 years ago:
Two Polands

This time 13 years ago:
A delightful weekend in the country

This time 14 years ago:
The dismantling of the Rampa

This time 15 years ago:
Flag day

Horizons

Good photography weather - brisk wind moves scattered clouds across the sky, dappling the landscape with patches of sun that will either illuminate the foreground or the horizon, or neither, or both, the sky itself capable of turning in some drama. Photos from three recent walks, all three being at least 16,000 paces (12km+). Of late, I've been catching a bus, buying a 20-minute ticket (3.40zł/ 60p)and walking home, extending my range and opening new vistas.

Below: lit by strong sunshine, the chimneys of Siekierki, 13km to the north-east. In the foreground farm buildings along ulica Złota, Nowy Podolszyn.

Below: Looking north-east from Podolszyn, sunlit blocks of flats in Ursynów; on the horizon, the chimneys of the Siekierki power station.

Below: looking at Zamienie from the west; four cranes suggest more high-rise developments on the edge of town. Nearest to the camera, Osiedle wśród pól, ('the estate among the fields') which will soon be engulfed by other estates. Note the distant airliner - it's approaching the airport from over Ursynów on RWY 29 as the usual RWY 33 (flying in over Jeziorki) is closed for maintenance.

Below: looking at Nowa Wola from the ulica Polna, which runs from Lesznowola through the fields of Podolszyn to Nowy Podolszyn.

Below: looking north from the fields between Nowa Wola and Podolszyn towards Warsaw, a LOT Embraer ERJ 175 departs from RWY 11, Okęcie airport. Note the shimmering heat haze - which surprised me, because there was a cold wind blowing in from the north.

Below: looking south from the new viaduct that connects Nowa Wola and Zgorzała; the S7 extension, flanked by service roads runs on the next junction, Węzeł Lesznowola.

Below: looking east from the new viaduct towards Piaseczno, housing estates of Nowa Wola and Nowa Iwiczna in between.

Below: sunset in the fields between Dawidy Bankowe, Zamienie and Łady

Below: ploughed field between Podolszyn and the Novisa Modern estate, under construction at the northern end of Nowa Wola, in the English style.

 

Below: Warsaw's skyline stretches out along the horizon - looking north along ulica Polna as it makes its way from Lesznowola via Podolszyn to Nowy Podolszyn. Asphalted at either end, there's still an 850m gap; this stretch at least is hardened, the next bit is little more than a muddy track.

Below: ulica Gryczna (lit. 'Buckwheat Street'), s dirt-track road leading from Podolszyn towards Zamienie 

For some topical perspective - wayside shrine, Nowy Podolszyn, a banner in Ukrainian colours, and on it the supplication from the Trisagion - 'From air [ie tempests], hunger, fire and wars, rescue us, O Lord'. On the notice board there's a leaflet in Ukrainian with information for refugees; next to in, in Polish, a leaflet explaining how local people can help.

Below: bonus horizon in the snow, taken on 2 April. A train of empty coal wagons heads back south along the electrified main line, between W-wa Dawidy and W-wa Jeziorki. Unusually heavy snowfall for April.

This time three years ago:
Helping others? Couldn't hurt

This time five years ago:
Local ornithology

This time nine years ago:
A hare in Wyczółki

This time ten years ago:
Warsaw by night

This time 11 years ago:

Tales of the Riverbank

This time 12 years ago:
Okęcie before the funerals

This time 13 years ago:
At the General's house

A Historic Day for Zgorzała and Zamienie

Came the day; came the hour - at a minute past ten the barrier blocking off the new road was removed, and drivers were beckoned towards the new viaduct carrying traffic over the S7 extension to Dawidy Bankowe.

Below: it's just coming up to ten and the commission that formally pronounces the new road open is in place; the bus stop is ready, all is good and the order is given to remove the barriers. 

Below: the final east-to-west crossing over the actual roadway of the S7 extension, about a minute before the barrier was removed and the road opened. Not this way for Warsaw or Kraków (yet); this way for Zamienie and Raszyn.

Below: the first car to legally drive down the new stretch of road was, of course, a black SUV.

 

Below: as the barriers are removed from the new road leading up to the new viaduct, the barriers are put up closing off ulica Dawidowska from traffic. 

Below: the first bus carries passengers across the new viaduct, a 715 headed for P+R Al. Krakowska.

Below: looking at the new viaduct from the Zamienie/Dawidy Bankowe end. There is a) a lack of pavement allowing pedestrians to cross safely from one side to the other; and yet b) no sign prohibiting pedestrians from crossing from side to the other. 

Below: what a sad sight - seeing the bus stops right outside your workplace disappear for ever. At 10am the crews came in to start dismantling Zamienie 01 and Zamienie 02 outside the Action warehouse.

From here, it's a choice of a half-kilometre walk to Zgorzała 01/02 or Starzyńskiego 01/02 in Dawidy Bankowe. As if life for a warehouse worker isn't tough enough as it is, an extra half-hour a day needs to be factored in for getting to and from work.

There's no pavement for pedestrians on the new viaduct; they are expected to cross at a dedicated footbridge with cycle path, at the other end of Zamienie. A lot more walking for local pedestrians.

Below: a footpath has been built to separate pedestrians from works traffic. I'm amazed that temporary footpaths can be built in days, and yet even something like this is better than the mud and fear that pedestrians have to contend with on ul. Karczunkowska.

Below: heading home on the first west-to-east bus to cross the new viaduct (a 715 heading for Ursynów). The driver is being briefed as to the re-routing by an employee of Pogotowie Komunikacji Miejskiej (which Google gives as 'municipal transport emergency service').

Below: OpenStreetMap is ready with the change...

Below: Google Maps is not ready. I have notified them...

It is still uncertain as to when the S7 extension will open. November 2022 the earliest, with single-lane operations on section B (between Lesznowola and Tarczyn), or September 2023 (the whole lot completed and opened in one go).

Weather notes: after a short spell of three clear days, the clouds began rolling in from the west; rain by tomorrow evening. Outlook thereafter - unsettled.

This time last year:
Future, past

This time two years ago:
Birds return to the frozen ponds

This time four years ago:
Bending the forces of physics with your will

This time six years ago:
Giving it up for Lent

This time eight years ago:
North-east of Warsaw West revisited

This time nine years ago:
Looking for answers

This time ten years ago:
Fresh powder in Warsaw's parks

This time 12 years ago:
Another Lent starts

This time 14 years ago:
Okęcie dusk

S7 extension section 'A' end-to-end

Thanks to Paul W and Moni!

The Christmas break on the construction site of the S7 gives the curious a good opportunity to check out the local stretch of this major infrastructure project. A chance to walk odcinek A ('stretch' or 'section A') from one end to another, and in particular to the southern end, which I've never yet seen.

Both sections have been troubled by contractual issues. Odcinek A was originally meant to have been built by Rubau; the contactor fell foul of terms and conditions and the contract was annulled before any work has started; Polaqua went on to win the new tender (more than double the price of Rubau's bid). Now 22 months after it began work on the project, Polaqua has displayed a staggeringly fast pace. 

Odcinek B has had a similar history, but here the initial contractor, IDS-Bud had actually made a start on the earthworks before being thrown off the contract for being too slow. Another firm, PTU Intercor, was finally selected earlier this year and is now getting on with it at a better pace, according to Skyscraper City's S7-extension watchers. [A quick aside - the first post about the S7 extension dates back to 2005; based on a press report claiming that the expressway between Warsaw and Grójec would be opened in 2008. One and half decades of over-optimism!]

Below: here's the southern end, where the two contracts meet. This point is about 150m south of ulica Słoneczna, the DW721 between Piaseczno and Magdalenka, In the foreground, odcinek A; concrete on the ground, most of the ancillary infrastructure (crash barriers, lighting, service roads) almost ready. Beyond the barriers begins odcinek B. It's Christmas Eve, heavy wet snow is falling, the temperature is just above 0C, but the snow is settling.

Below: from one of the detailed diagrams of the S7 extension (the whole of odcinek A is available for download here). Oriented with the south at the top, it shows the boundary between odcinek A and B, and ul. Słoneczna (DW721) passes underneath.

Below: underneath the bridge taking ul. Raszyńska over the S7, linking Nowa Wola to the west with Zgorzała to the east. No street lighting for the local traffic, but at least there's a pavement.

Below: looking north towards the new bridge carrying ul. Raszyńska over the S7. On the horizon, the cranes on the building sites of Zamienie, where new blocks of flats are continuing to appear amid the fields.

Below: ul. Krasickiego, running east-west from Nowa Iwiczna to Nowa Wola, passes through a tunnel under the S7. Looking west toward Nowa Wola.

Below: Paul's drone shots of the bridge on Christmas Day (much finer weather, -6C and clear skies), looking north.

Drones are just the thing for following the development of road-building projects!

Below: looking east towards Piaseczno - the S7 is crossed by a new viaduct carrying four lanes of road from nowhere to nowhere. This will, one day, be the DW (droga wojewódźka) 721 bis, relieving the heavy single-carriageway ul. Słoneczna. Trouble is, the residents of Konstancin further east aren't happy with the concept of a new road. Still, building infrastructure now in advance of projects that may not happen for another 15 years is not entirely new around here. In the middle distance, ul. Postępu (lit. 'Progress Street') runs north-south from Zgorzała towards Bobrowiec.

Meanwhile, Christmas Day saw Moni and me heading the other way along the S7 extension, to where it will meet the S79 (below), taking the expressway into central Warsaw. No progress since I last came here a few weeks ago.

Below: traditional farm building, Dawidy Zwykłe. Behind the house, acoustic screens and the S7. To the right, a logistics centre. Immediately behind me - the railway line. I hear the low rumble of an approaching coal train, and the distant 'ding-ding-ding' of the level crossing barriers as they descend...

Below: the fully laden coal train on its way to Siekierki power station.

The bridge over the S7 at Zamienie would be a good place for photographing planes on coming in to Warszawa Okęcie airport if there were a pavement along the side. But there isn't. Still - no traffic, no construction work, so on Christmas Day a chance for a snap. Below: LOT Polish Airlines Embraer ERJ 175 (Warmia i Mazury livery) on final approach.

New for 2021 in the most immediate neighbourhood - the view from our back garden looking towards ul. Trombity, where the old farmhouse and outbuildings have been pulled down to make way for a pair of modern bungalows.

This time two years ago:
Eighty-five chains to Hazelwood Station

This time three years ago:
Christmas round-up

This time five years ago:
Derbyshire at Christmas

This time six years ago:
Across the High Peaks

This time seven years ago:
Derbyshire's rolling landscapes

This time eight years ago:
Our Progress Around the Sceptr'd Isle 

This time nine years ago:
Out and about in Duffield

and...
Christmas Break

This time ten years ago:
Boxing Day walk in Derbyshire

This time 11 years ago 

Derbyshire in the snow

This time 13 years ago:

Derbyshire in the sunshine

This time 14 years ago:

Derbyshire in the drizzle