DK81/86 – report

National Road 86 at the height of Giszowiec was closed after heavy rain on Saturday 27 June. Intense rainfall caused a landslide of the slope securing the road viaduct. Due to the progressive deformation of the active carriageway within DK86, it was closed for safety reasons. At today’s press conference, the city representatives and the contractor for the reconstruction of the road junction announced the resumption of traffic on DK86 at the end of September.

Both the city representatives and the contractor reacted to the emergency situation immediately. A crisis team was called straight away and work began on possible solutions. From the beginning, two variants were possible – repair of a damaged overpass, which, as part of the reconstruction of the road junction, is intended for demolition, or implementation of the target overpass. The implementation of both options is comparable in terms of construction time, while the first option would result in additional work carried out by the contractor.

–In the last two weeks we have been analysing the situation in order to choose a solution that will allow to restore traffic as soon as possible and at the same time will not affect the course of the whole investment, including its costs. Together with the contractor, we have chosen a variant that takes into account the demolition of the damaged viaduct and the construction of the target overpass. By the end of September, drivers will have access to a section of the new roadway in the direction of Tychy, where the traffic will be in one lane in each direction – says Bogumił Sobula, Katowice’s first Vice Mayor. Behind the new facility, drivers will return to the existing eastern roadway heading southwards to Giszowiec, Tychy (DK86) or DK81 (ul. 73. Pułku Piechoty), and the entire western carriageway will be ready next spring.

– In order to restore traffic on one of the most popular national roads in Katowice as soon as possible – because there are more than 50,000 vehicles travelling along the excluded route during the day – we will be working in shifts, including at night from next Monday – adds Ryszard Trykosko, Vice President of NDI SA.

Until the end of August, bridge works will be carried out, which will include the construction of retaining walls on the western and eastern sides of the new viaduct. At the turn of August and September, the existing viaduct on the eastern road, i.e. in the direction to Tychy, and the existing viaduct on the western road, i.e. in the direction to the centre of Katowice, will be demolished. Then, in September, a road embankment will be constructed for the overpass for the western main roadway, construction of a rainwater drainage system and construction of a road surface for the western main roadway, which will be followed by car traffic at the end of September.

– It should be noted that the existing viaducts, according to the design documentation, were intended for demolition. The emergency situation has forced changes to the work schedule and the road to be closed for several months, but this situation will not adversely affect the completion date of the entire investment – emphasizes Adam Kochański, head of the investment department.

The new section of the western roadway from A4 Murckowska Junction to the viaduct, planned to be opened, will be handed over in advance of the further section of the western roadway under construction, which is planned to be opened next spring. In turn, completion of the entire investment is expected in the second quarter of 2022. Therefore, in addition to works related to the viaduct, the contractor will carry out a number of other activities related to the reconstruction of the road junction.

– First of all, we will focus on road works and making temporary crossings through the lane dividing the western into the eastern roadway, which will allow us to restore traffic on National Road No. 86. At the same time, we will continue work on the entire section of ul. Pszczyńska, which is 2.5 km long with four viaducts and an underground passage. We are also building a new sewage system and reconstructing the existing water supply, power, teletechnical and underground utilities networks belonging to the KWK Murcki-Staszic mine – says Adam Owsiany, project director, NDI.

However, before the contractor makes a new overpass, detours will still apply.

DETOURS FOR DRIVERS

For drivers, both local and transit detours have been set for the time of exclusion.

Local detour leading through ul. Gospodarcza, ul. Górniczego Dorobku, ul. Szopienicka (scheme 1). – In connection with the closure of DK86 for the next three months, we have already introduced several additional elements to give priority to the proposed detours. We have changed the organization of traffic and the program of traffic lights at the intersections: u. Szopienicka – ul. Górniczy Dorobek in order to adjust the intersection to the increased traffic resulting from the detour – says Bogumił Sobula, Katowice’s first Vice Mayor.

At the intersection, the inlet in ul. Św. Anny was closed and the public transport is limited exclusively to buses to the left-hand turn from ul. Szopienicka to ul. Górniczego Dorobku. In addition, in the area of ul. Pszczyńska closure (the area of the footbridge over ul. Pszczyńska at Murckowska junction), a turning point has been designated for vehicles that have not used the previous alternative routes. Both the DK86 crossing, which connects ul. Kolista and ul. 73. Pułku Piechoty, as well as the right hand side of the DK86 in ul. Kolista, were opened.

For transit traffic it is recommended to bypass DK86 and head to S1 (scheme 2). In the direction of Tychy – Sosnowiec, take the S1 in Tychy. From the S1 you can turn into the A4 motorway and head towards Katowice or Kraków or continue on the S1 road – towards Dąbrowa Górnicza – to the A1 motorway. On the other hand, if you are coming from Katowice, take the A4 motorway to Kraków and then turn to S1 in Mysłowice in the direction of Tychy. Vehicles going from Siewierz to Tychy should turn into S1 in Podwarpie. Transit traffic from ul. Kościuszki DK81 from the intersection with ul. Kolejowa in the direction of A4 motorway will be directed through ul. Brynowska and ul. Mikołowska.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Metropolitan Transport Authority (ZTM) has introduced a change in the routes of bus lines no.: 1, 4, 14, 672, 672N, 673 and 920. In addition, in order to meet the expectations of public transport passengers, work is under way and arrangements are being made to launch an additional stop on ul. Mysłowicka for buses going from Tychy. These vehicles served the Giszowiec district by stopping at a bus stop at ul. Pszczyńska (DK86), therefore the city has intervened in order to make an additional stop on the detour route instead. Details of public transport are available on the ZTM’s website in the ‘Communications’ tab, while the Silesian Railways on the Tychy-Katowice line, which passes through Podlesie and Piotrowice, have increased the possibility of transporting passengers on two morning trains.