Obwodnica trójmiejska or Obwodnica Trójmiasta is part of S6 express road that bypasses the cities of Gdynia, Sopot and Gdańsk. The beltway runs north to south from Gdynia to Pruszcz Gdański and is long. Together with the Słupsk bypass, it forms a part of the S6 expressway which will eventually run from Szczecin to Gdańsk. It is also part of the european route E28.
History
Construction started in the 1970s and the first section was opened for use in 1977. Due to a lack of funds during the 1980s, construction was delayed many times. The fall of communism in 1990 also slowed down construction. Major sections of the beltway were completed in 2001 with the last two major junctions finished in 2008. The various stages were constructed in the following years:
The beltway is an important piece of infrastructure in the Pomeranian Voivodeship since it eases congestion through the center of the Tricity area as well as diverting transit traffic. The beltway connects Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport with the rest of the Voivodeship and is an integral part of the Tricity economy, helping boost future growth in the region. The Obwodnica Trójmiejska is also one of the few orbital, beltway and ring roads that bypass major cities in Poland. Cities such as Warsaw, Wrocław and Łódź lack a complete bypass, causing transit traffic to go through the city center. This causes frustration among the local population, increases congestion, environmental damage and pollution. However, the Polish government intends to finish construction on many of the major expressways and motorways that will criss- cross the country and bypass major cities by the year 2013.
Road conditions
The beltway is currently in good condition, compared to many of the major roads in Poland. The fact that the expressway is relatively new and modernized makes it one of the best roads in Poland today. There are two lanes in each direction; in some places a third lane is available during curved or up-hill sections. The road is cleared regularly during heavy snowfall, which can be a hazard during winter. Overall, the road is safer than other roads in the region, although accidents do tend to happen.
Current development
A new junction connecting the south end of the Tricity Beltway to the A1 motorway has been completed by 22 December 2007. It enables traveling up to Grudziądz using a motorway, and when the A1 is completed, it will connect Gdańsk through Toruń, Łódź and Katowice, to the Czech border in the south. The A1 motorway is planned to be completed in 2016. On the 12 June 2008, Trasa im. Eugeniusza Kwiatkowskiego was completed and finally connected the Port of Gdynia to the Beltway, bypassing the local city streets. This reduced truck traffic in residential areas greatly since all heavy trucks heading towards the port used national road 6, which goes through the center of the city. From 2006 and onwards, the junction with ul. Morska in Gdynia is being modernized in order to smoothen traffic congestion on the national road 6. The final location of the S6 express road is still being evaluated although it is likely to connect roughly midway through the beltway. This will cause the northern part of the beltway to be renumbered from the junction with the S6 to ul. Morska in Gdynia. Construction of the S6 is not intended to be started for a number of years because of more critical routes that need to be constructed first. There are plans to create a so-called Tricity corridor, by modernizing existing roads and building new ones. National roads 7 and 20 will be modernized with some new sections to bypass towns, with the planned S6 completing the corridor. The A1 motorway from the end of the beltway to Toruń should be completed by 2011, with the remainder of the road from Toruń to the Czech border due to be finished by 2016, giving the residents of the Pomeranian Voivodeship their first access to the Polish and European motorway network.
