Management and Supervision of the S69 Expressway
Project introduction
Supervision and management of the construction of the 27 km
section of the S69 expressway from the Slovakian border at Zwardoń
north to Żywiec.
Project background
The S69 expressway, running from Bielsko-Biała to Żywiec and
Zwardoń is part of the European Transport Corridor linking the
Upper-Silesian Industrial Region with the capital of Slovakia,
Bratislava. After Poland’s joining the European Union and the
construction of a car factory in Zhilina (Slovakia), it was
necessary to facilitate trans-boundary traffic between Poland and
Slovakia. An agreement between the Polish and Slovak governments
will lead to the replacement of the existing national road DK69,
whose current parameters make it impossible to carry international
traffic. The project is divided into three stages. Scott Wilson,
acting on behalf of the General Directorate of National Roads and
Motorways (GDDKiA) is managing and supervising the delivery of
Stage I – seven adjacent sections of the expressway from the Polish
border to the city of Żywiec. The section measures 27 km in
lenght.
Project scope
Scott Wilson’s team of experts provides comprehensive services
for the project. Earth works, pavement and bridge construction (18
structures in total) are performed in challenging, mountainous
terrain requiring bolting and shortcreting of slide slopes in
unstable Carpathian Flysh rock. The works cover the reconstruction
of intersecting roads, regulation of water courses and
reconstruction of infrastructural networks. Other services provided
by Scott Wilson include:
- Verification of design and contract documentation
- Participation in tender procedures for the performance of
works
- Construction supervision on behalf of the Employer in
accordance with FIDIC and the Polish Construction Law
- Quality control, control and comprehensive reconciliation of
quantity surveys, monitoring of expenditures and progress of
works
- Specialized technical consulting services for structures,
pavements and geotechnical measurements
- Preparation of preliminary report and subsequent reports
monitoring the progress of works
What we achieved
Heavy vehicle traffic blocking the minor roads in the vicinity
of the border significantly reduces the living standard of
residents of small towns and has an adverse impact on tourism. The
new alignment of the S69 road has been designed to avoid these
small towns, eliminate dangerous curves and reduce differences in
elevation (currently as much as 1 000 m). The work is performed in
challenging, mountainous terrain and diverse geological conditions
force the frequent introduction of amendments to the design. Our
forty-member supervising team thus faces many challenges, such as a
bridge with an arch radius of 300 m and a crossfall of 7% and a
nearly 700 metre long tunnel in Laliki built using the New Austrian
Tunnelling Method, which is the first bored road tunnel in
Poland.