Highways in Poland

Polish highway network:
  Completed

  Opened with lower speed limits

  Construction

  Design (as part of design-build)

  Tender

  Environmental decision obtained

  Planned

Controlled-access highways in Poland are part of the national roads network and they are divided into motorways and expressways. Both types of highways feature grade-separated interchanges with all other roads, emergency lanes, feeder lanes, wildlife crossings and dedicated roadside rest areas. Motorways differ from expressways in their technical parameters like designated speed, permitted road curvature, lane widths or minimal distances between interchanges. Moreover, expressways might have single-carriageway sections in case of low traffic densities (as of 2025, such sections constitute 3.5% of the highway network).

The development of modern highways began in the 1970s, but proceeded very slowly under the communist rule and for the first years afterwards: between 1970 and 2000 only 434 km of highways were constructed in total (5% of the planned network).^[2] Further 1050 km (13% of the network) were opened from 2001 to 2010, followed by 2773 km (34% of the network) constructed between 2011 and 2020.^[3] It is planned to open about 2500 km (31%) in the 2020s, while the last about 1400 km (17%) would be completed in the 2030s.^[4]

As of May 2025^[update], there are 5205.5 km^[5] of motorways and expressways in operation (62% of the intended network), while contracts for construction of further 1349 km^[6]^[7] (16% of the network) are ongoing.

Except for the single-carriageway expressways, both types of highways fulfill the definition of a motorway as specified by OECD, WRA or Vienna Convention. Speed limits in Poland are 140 km/h on motorways and 120 km/h on expressways (100 km/h for single-carriageway expressway sections). Some motorway stretches are tolled.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

^ "LEX". sip.lex.pl. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
^ Here and in the following figures, construction of 1st or 2nd carriageway is accounted as half-length for consistency of the summed results. Sections constructed by Nazi Germany are accounted for the dates of their reconstruction to modern highways.
^ "Wybierz województwo - Generalna Dyrekcja Dróg Krajowych i Autostrad - Portal Gov.pl". Generalna Dyrekcja Dróg Krajowych i Autostrad. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
^ Cite error: The named reference pbdk_2033 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Autostrady :: Generalna Dyrekcja Dróg Krajowych i Autostrad - Strona Główna". www.gddkia.gov.pl.
^ Including design–build contracts; see the List of motorways and expressways for details on the phases of construction and design.
^ Cite error: The named reference gddkia_contracts'_completion_dates was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2] "LEX". sip.lex.pl. Retrieved 26 February 2025.

[3] Here and in the following figures, construction of 1st or 2nd carriageway is accounted as half-length for consistency of the summed results. Sections constructed by Nazi Germany are accounted for the dates of their reconstruction to modern highways.

[4] "Wybierz województwo - Generalna Dyrekcja Dróg Krajowych i Autostrad - Portal Gov.pl". Generalna Dyrekcja Dróg Krajowych i Autostrad. Retrieved 26 February 2025.

[pbdk_2033-5] Cite error: The named reference pbdk_2033 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[6] "Autostrady :: Generalna Dyrekcja Dróg Krajowych i Autostrad - Strona Główna". www.gddkia.gov.pl.

[7] Including design–build contracts; see the List of motorways and expressways for details on the phases of construction and design.

[gddkia_contracts'_completion_dates-8] Cite error: The named reference gddkia_contracts'_completion_dates was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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