In brief

• Construction of a road linking DK 87 and DW 969 in Nowy Sącz, with a new Dunajec bridge, began on 30 October.
• The bridge is to be about 526 metres long and the route includes more than 3 kilometres of road.
• Reported costs range from over 226 mln zł to nearly 242 mln zł.
• Completion is planned for 2029, with pile driving for the bridge due to start within a month.

Work starts on the Nowy Sącz link

Construction has started on a road connecting DK 87 with DW 969 in Nowy Sącz. A new bridge over the Dunajec river is at its centre. Work began on Friday, 30 October (Nowy Sącz: Rozpoczęła się budowa nowej drogi z mostem na Dunajcu za ponad 226 mln zł – wnp.pl) (Nowy most na Dunajcu za blisko 242 mln zł. Ruszyła budowa – starosadeckie.info). The bridge would be the third road crossing of the river in this part of the city. It is meant to spread traffic more evenly and reduce pressure on the existing crossings (Nowy most na Dunajcu i droga za ponad 226 mln zł. Ruszyła wielka inwestycja w Nowym Sączu – wp.pl).

Bridge and road dimensions

The bridge is to be about 526 metres long, according to one report. The new route includes more than 3 kilometres of road, and one report gives the figure as 3.5 kilometres. The project also covers the rebuilding of nearby roads and the construction of new roundabouts. One report mentions five roundabouts.

Cost and schedule

The reported cost varies between sources:

• Over 226 mln zł
• Nearly 242 mln zł
• Over 240 mln zł (Trzeci most na Dunajcu! Rusza inwestycja za ponad 240 mln złotych – grybow24.pl)

The completion date is given as August 2029 in one report. Another gives it as the second half of 2029.

Preparatory work

Preparatory work includes tree felling, surveying, road works and the building of access roads to the future bridge structure. The contractor plans to start pile driving for the bridge within the next month. Work to move conflicting utility infrastructure will also begin in that period.

Officials at the ceremony

The launch ceremony was attended by MPs Anna Paluch, Edward Siarka and Łukasz Smółka. Also present were Małopolska marshal's deputy Witold Kozłowski, the mayors of Chełmiec and Podegrodzie, and officials from the Kraków regional road board.