Controversy over widening a major highway. “These are radical differences.”

Currently, much of the Lower Silesian section of the A4 motorway follows the route built before World War II. Despite the roof replacement, there is no emergency lane on the larger section between Wrocław and Zgorzelec. In November 2023, the General Directorate of National Roads and Highways recommended expanding the A4 motorway between Legnica and Wrocław along the existing route.

This alternative assumes that the existing dual carriageway, which has two lanes and no emergency lane, will be replaced by a new road with three lanes and an emergency lane. The road will be wider, but the terrain will be exactly the same as it is now.

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At the same time, other variables were also taken into consideration earlier, including: building a new highway. In such a scenario, the existing road would remain as it is today, and the construction of a new highway would require the demolition of homes. The plans – in all their forms – were met with protests from residents.

The issue continues to arouse great emotion. On Wednesday, at a press conference in Wrocław, only members of the A4 Social Committee in Novi Slad and the deputy of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Piotr Kozdrojetski, announced that they would submit a request to the Supreme Audit Office to control the process of recommending the expansion of the A4 highway in Old Slad.

-We have great doubts about the data collected and presented by the General Directorate of National Roads and Highways – said Kozdrwicki. – It is very important to put forward the hypothesis that the data were deliberately manipulated in order to justify the option of rebuilding the A4 highway on the old road, while a priori rejecting the option of building a new road as unprofitable and inappropriate, which we and said considered the best solution for Lower Silesia .

In turn, Bogdan Michagliuk, a representative of the protesting residents, spoke about incomprehensible differences in the data presented at the Investment Review Team meeting and the Investment Review Committee meeting. He also explained that no tests were performed during this period, so these data should not differ.

– These are radical differences and should not exist. The traffic density in one stream is 50,000 vehicles, and in the second 92 thousand vehicles. If no tests were done from March to September, why this change? This is not Czechia's mistake or fault, Mihajluk said.

He estimated that both the old and new route expansion variant would shift transit traffic to nearby roads next to the highway.

– We are convinced of that There is a need to develop another variant in a new footprint that meets increasing transportation needs and social expectations. He added: “After all, we will not get rid of the old highway, but we want transportation to be put on another new highway.”

Pawel Jancarz, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure from Lower Silesia, expressed his support for such a solution in an interview with Radio Wrocław. – I will say this: there will be a review when it comes to choosing the route of the A4 corridor whether along the old route or the new route. Today, after these preliminary analyses, it appears that expanding the current highway does not seem rational, economical, or developmental. – said Jancarz.