The Last Section of the S61 Expressway in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship Officially Opened.
On 12 August 2023 the last section of the S61 expressway, which is part of the European Via Baltica route, was officially opened to traffic. The newly opened road in Masuria means that it is now possible to drive from Kolno to the Lithuanian border.
The contract for the design and construction of the S61 on an approx. 23 km section Ełk Południe-Wysokie was concluded in July 2018 between the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) and the consortium members: Trakcja S.A., Mostostal Warszawa S.A. and Przedsiębiorstwo Eksploatacji Ulic i Mostów Białystok.
– This road opens up the whole region economically, it is an engine for the development of the entire region – stressed Andrzej Adamczyk, Minister of Infrastructure, who was present at the event.
As part of the investment, a section of expressway with a dual carriageway cross-section was built, together with service roads, the Ełk Wschód interchange and 30 engineering structures, including 5 road overpasses providing transport links for local residents. The surface of the S61 section under construction was made of cement concrete, while the 3.5 km section of the S16 included in the scope of works was made of asphalt concrete.
– One of the greater challenges for our crews was the replacement of nearly 1.5 million cubic metres of soil. It should also be stressed that the new road has a cement concrete surface, which is characterised by high durability and load-bearing capacity. I thank everyone involved in the entire investment process – noted Bartłomiej Cygan, Member of the Management Board, Technical Director at Trakcja.
