With a car tunnel in Swinemünde (Swinoujscie), Poland opened another access road to the popular holiday island of Usedom in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Friday.
The time of long-standing dreams is coming to an end, a new reality is beginning, said Infrastructure Minister Andrzej Adamczyk on Friday at the opening ceremony in the tunnel tube. Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said the building not only increases comfort in the city itself, but also improves connections throughout the West Pomeranian region.
In the afternoon, the tunnel was opened to the public, pedestrians and cyclists could use the nearly two-kilometer-long tunnel. Motorized traffic should then be allowed to roll through the building from the evening.
The tunnel runs under the Świna, an arm of the Baltic Sea that separates not only Świnoujście, but also Usedom from the Polish island of Wollin. In addition to existing bridges on the German side, it is the third fixed access to the island.
According to the city, the journey will be reduced from 40 minutes to two to five minutes compared to existing ferry connections across the Świna. Bicycles and pedestrians should not be allowed to pass through the tunnel during actual operation.
The tunnel, which costs more than 200 million euros, is around 1.8 kilometers long. Much of the money for the construction comes from the EU. The first preparatory work started in 2019. The building has been finished since May of this year.
The tunnel could make it easier for travelers from Berlin and Brandenburg to travel to the island via Autobahn 11 via Stettin (Szczecin). Although this route is longer than the route via the German side, it takes longer over the Autobahn. In addition, an expressway is being developed on the Polish side for the connection.
Broadcast: Antenne Brandenburg, 06/30/2023, 8 a.m