The importance of the S-11 and S-10 expressways in the transport system of northern Wielkopolska

Abstract

The article presents the current state of operation of the DK11 and DK10 national roads as a “framework” on the basis of which the actual implementation of investment tasks for the construction of sections of the S-11 and S-10 expressways in the area of northern Greater Poland, with particular emphasis on the region of the city of Piła, was initiated. The aim of the article is a detailed characterization of the volume of motor vehicle traffic on individual sections of national roads DK11 and DK10 and the supporting roads DW 179, 188 and 180. In order to determine in detail the role and importance of the S-11 and S-10 expressways in the area of northern Greater Poland, research on potential accessibility for 2015 and expected potential availability for 2030 according to T. Komornicki, pointing out that the need to build the S-11 and S-10 expressways was already justified in these models. The author of the study, based on potential modeling, also compared the results of GPR tests for individual sections of DK11 and DK10 in northern Greater Poland for the years 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020/2021 performed by GDDKIA. The obtained results of the volume of vehicle traffic as well as the directions and scale of traffic confirmed to a decisive extent the actual need to start the construction of individual sections of the S-11 and S-10 expressways. The analyzes also used the recorded volumes of truck traffic as well as changes in the load on the road network for the years 2015 – 2020/2021. The work also refers, to some extent, to the current structure of the settlement network of northern Greater Poland according to the studies by Sabala-Gwosdz (2024) and the classification of the settlement system, in which Piła is defined as a key city of subregional importance and is indicated as the only center for balancing the development of northern Greater Poland. The expected very strong improvement in transport accessibility for the road transport system in northern Greater Poland will mean a very strong increase in the socio-economic importance of the city of Piła. This city of 70,000 inhabitants, together with several neighboring urban centers, as a center for balancing development at the intersection of the S-11 and S-10 expressways, may become a location for new economic activities and logistics and industrial facilities. Eventually, the city of Piła will also become the shortest connection of several urban agglomerations of the country with the seaports of the west coast, and via S-11 it will connect the Polish agglomeration with the key seaside recreation and health resort area of the country – Central Pomerania and Kołobrzeg as the largest health resort in Poland. Thus, the S-11 and S-10 expressways will play a key transport and economic role for the region of northern Greater Poland and transit to several agglomerations, seaports and main resorts on the western and central coast. The S-11 and S-10 roads should become a key impulse for the development of Piła and a large part of northern Greater Poland.