Poland’s road building spend to drop in 2013

Poland plans to invest PLN19 billion (€4.7 billion) on its national road network during 2013, according to research company PMR. This compares to the PLN22 billion (€5.4 billion) spent on road renovation and repair projects during last year.

PMR said it was not certain whether any new tenders would be announced for this year, but the over 600km of roads which are currently under construction or reconstruction must be completed, while around 200km of new motorways are expected to be built between 2013 and 2014.

In addition, PLN10 billion (€2.4 billion) is planned to be invested in railway projects over the next 12 months, including the renovation of lines, upgrades of railway station buildings and purchases of new rolling stock.

In 2012, 716km of new roads were built in Poland, while 950km of roads were renovated. However, the amount invested in Poland’s roads last year was below the initial forecast of PLN30 billion (€7.3 billion) made at the start of 2013. PMR said the less-than-expected spending was due to lower bids submitted in road work tenders.

EU funding provided just under PLN10 billion (€2.4 billion) for road building projects in 2012.