Underpass at PDT Wola
Source: Tomasz Zieliński/tvnwarszawa.pl
The road builders of the capital are preparing for changes at the intersection of Volska and Mlinarska. Its complete reconstruction will begin next year. The damaged tunnel under the roads and tramways will be replaced by convenient ground passages. The underground passage is being filled.
The underground passage of the Wolla Department Store, which was very popular during the Polish People's Republic, at the intersection of Mlinarska and Wolska streets, was built in the late 1970s. Like other structures of this type, the tunnel does not have facilities for disabled people or parents with wheelchairs. The stairs are steep and narrow. This is the only way to bypass tram stops and a busy intersection without extra work.
The progressive deterioration of the tunnel can be seen daily – the ceiling is chipped with paint, the walls are grimy and dirty, and the drain bars have been stolen – fencing off the gaps left behind so that no one gets hurt when passing through. after dark.
“It is necessary to fill the tunnels.” The head of road engineers explains
As “Gazeta Stołeczna” described, when the second metro line through Wola was planned, there was a possibility of change in this place. One of the concepts suggested that the ideal place for the station would be the intersection near the “pedeta”, but this idea was objected to by tram drivers. They did not want this place to be dug up because it would make it difficult to get out of the depot. Finally, the station was built a few hundred meters away, at the intersection of Plok. However, the tunnel remained almost unchanged. At the end of 2021, the last merchants who rented the shops moved out.
Underpass at PDT Wola
Underpass at PDT Wola
Source: Tomasz Zieliński/tvnwarszawa.pl
Underpass at PDT Wola
Source: Tomasz Zieliński/tvnwarszawa.pl
Underpass at PDT Wola
Source: Tomasz Zieliński/tvnwarszawa.pl
Underpass at PDT Wola
Source: Tomasz Zieliński/tvnwarszawa.pl
Underpass at PDT Wola
Source: Tomasz Zieliński/tvnwarszawa.pl
Underpass at PDT Wola
Source: Tomasz Zieliński/tvnwarszawa.pl
Underpass at PDT Wola
Source: Tomasz Zieliński/tvnwarszawa.pl
Underpass at PDT Wola
Source: Tomasz Zieliński/tvnwarszawa.pl
Underpass at PDT Wola
Source: Tomasz Zieliński/tvnwarszawa.pl
In April 2023, when we last wrote about the dreaded tunnel, the Urban Roads Authority was in talks with a company from the Skanska Group. A developer investing nearby will be responsible for the work associated with filling the underpass. A year and a half has passed, has anything changed? We ask the director of ZDM Łukasz Puchalski.
– The current appearance of the Wolska and Mlinarska intersection is completely unacceptable. Our concept involves filling the underground passage and marking the overpasses, emphasized Puchalsky at the beginning. He explained that while maintaining the underpasses, it is impossible to mark the crossings without changing the geometry of the intersection and thus widening those crossings. – It is necessary to fill the tunnels, because going through the stairs expands the intersection to a huge extent and reduces its efficiency, – he explained.
“We are in the final stages of closing the deal.”
As the director of ZDM mentioned, Skanska is planning an office building at the intersection of Volska and Mlinarska. – The document for the reconstruction of this intersection has already been prepared. I hope we are in the final stages of an agreement. So that the contractor will start reconstruction next year. I estimate that the implementation of this project will take one and a half to two years. This is not only a sign of a passage, but a very serious intervention in something underground, – emphasized Puchalsky.
He predicted that the work will start in the second or third quarter of next year. “A lot depends on weather conditions, but I hope that within two years at the most, the crossing will stop being scary and we will forget about it, like the 25 underpasses or pedestrian crossings that we recently replaced with overpasses,” he said. in the end, Puchalsky.
Source: tvnwarszawa.pl
Main photo source: Tomasz Zieliński/tvnwarszawa.pl
