Drogowa Trasa Srednicowa
Encyclopedia
Drogowa Trasa Średnicowa (DTŚ, can be translated as diametral highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...

or central highway) is a highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...

 in Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centering on the historic region known as Upper Silesia...

, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

. The DTŚ is entirely a divided highway
Divided Highway
Divided Highway is a compilation album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 2003. . All tracks are taken from the albums Cycles and Brotherhood .-Track listing:...

, with a minimum of 3 lanes in each direction. It is one of the most important roads of the Upper Silesian Industrial Region
Upper Silesian Industrial Region
The Upper Silesian Industrial Region is a large industrial region in Poland. It lies mainly in the Silesian Voivodeship, centered around Katowice....

. The DTŚ runs most of its course parallel to A4 motorway
Autostrada A4 (Poland)
The autostrada A4 in Poland is a motorway which runs from west to east through southern Poland, from the Polish-German border in Zgorzelec , through Wrocław, Katowice, Kraków, Tarnów, and Rzeszów to the Polish-Ukrainian border at Korczowa. The motorway is a part of the European route E40...

 but, unlike A4, the DTŚ provides access to the congested centers of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union
Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union
The Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia or Upper Silesia Metroplex, Silesia Metroplex / Silesia Metroplex is a union of 14 adjacent cities in the Polish province of Silesia....

. Currently, the DTŚ runs from Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...

, through Chorzów
Chorzów
Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...

 and Świętochłowice, Ruda Śląska
Ruda Slaska
Ruda Śląska is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is a district in the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of 2 million. It is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river ....

 and Zabrze
Zabrze
Zabrze is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union is a metropolis with a population of around 2 million...

. An extension through Zabrze is currently under construction, and continuation to Gliwice
Gliwice
Gliwice is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Gliwice is the west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – a metropolis with a population of 2 million...

 is planned where accession to A1 motorway and connection to A4 motorway is planned.

The construction of road resulted in a considerable improvement in the traffic of the highly urbanized area of Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union. It shortened the road distance between Katowice and Gliwice by 26%, travelling time by 76%, consumption of gasoline by 47%, the number of road accidents by 82%, exploitation costs by 39%, and air pollution by 50%.

Construction

The DTŚ is the largest road investment ever carried out by a local government in Poland. It has been financed in large part with Polish government funds but also using voivodeship and the local city budgets. Once completed, DTŚ should have 26 junctions (for comparison, the motorway A4 running in parallel has only 6 junctions in the same area).

The construction started in 1986. In 1990, due to Polish financial problems, the work practically halted. Since 1994 the budget for construction increased thanks to the European Investment Bank
European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank is the European Union's long-term lending institution established in 1958 under the Treaty of Rome. A policy-driven bank, the EIB supports the EU’s priority objectives, especially European integration and the development of economically weak regions...

 (EIB) that provided a guarantee of funding. Since 1999 the construction of the DTŚ has been a shared responsibility of the Polish government, local government of the Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centering on the historic region known as Upper Silesia...

 and of the cities through which the road runs, and work progresses steadily. So far 14.7 km (9.1 mi) were completed out of the total planned 31.3 km (19.4 mi). A local society in Gliwice has been protesting against proposed layout of the road through the city center (on ecological basis).

An eastern extension of the DTŚ is planned for a more distant future. This branch would run from Katowice to Mysłowice and Zagłębie Dąbrowskie cities: Sosnowiec
Sosnowiec
Sosnowiec is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a combined population of over two million people located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Brynica river .It is situated in...

, Będzin
Bedzin
Będzin is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland. Located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Czarna Przemsza river , the city borders the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metro area with a population of about 2 million.It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its...

 and Dąbrowa Górnicza
Dabrowa Górnicza
Dąbrowa Górnicza is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland, nearby Katowice. The north-east district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of almost 3 millions...

. Planned length of this part is expected to be 22.3 km (13.9 mi).
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