On Monday, October 20, a symbolic ceremony officially opened the Via Baltica road between Lithuania and Poland. Traffic in both directions has been restored on a 12-kilometer section of the A5 Kaunas–Marijampolė–Suwałki highway between Marijampolė and the Lithuanian–Polish border, from kilometer 85 to kilometer 97.06.
Martynas Gedaminskas, head of Via Lietuva, emphasizes that the Via Baltica highway is one of the largest and most technically complex road infrastructure projects in the history of independent Lithuania."For many years, driving on the Via Baltica motorway was dangerous, and there were many tragic accidents on this section of the road. Now, traveling on this road has become much safer, and with the opening of two lanes in both directions, we have been able to increase the speed limit to 130 km/h.
The modernization of the Via Baltica highway is fundamentally changing the quality of transport, ensuring safer, more convenient, and faster travel for both Lithuanian residents and international transport. Now we are looking towards Latvia, as we want to reconstruct the remaining sections of Via Baltica," said Martynas Gedaminskas, director of Via Lietuva, during the event.
Three viaducts, 11 roundabouts, two tunnels, a modern car park with electric vehicle charging stations, toilets, and rest areas have been built on the Lithuanian-Polish border. Significant environmental protection measures have also been implemented, including three tunnel crossings for animals and a green bridge allowing them to migrate. This border section is important not only for security reasons, but also in terms of strategic transport – the modernized highway will now ensure smoother traffic between Lithuania and Poland, improve local residents' access and logistics flows throughout the region."The implementation of this strategic project was one of the most important and complex road projects in the country. It is symbolic that, as a company with Polish capital, we had the opportunity to complete the Via Baltica section up to the border with Poland. We worked at an intense pace, ensuring the quality of the work and traffic safety at every stage – from embankments to complex engineering solutions. This section not only connects the roads of the two countries, but also increases the mobility of the entire region. However, work will continue here – we will complete the construction of connecting roads, a car park and rest area, fences against wild animals, and carry out other works," says Aldas Rusevičius, Director of Kauno Tiltai.
The value of the final section of the works amounted to €187 million, including VAT. The works were carried out by AB Kauno tiltai, the company that won the public tender. The project was financed by the European Infrastructure Networks Instrument (EITP), the budget of the Republic of Lithuania, and the European Union Structural Funds.
The modernization of the entire 40 km section of Via Baltica from Marijampolė to the border involved the modernization of road infrastructure on an exceptional scale: six new bridges were built, two bridges were reconstructed, nine viaducts were installed, seven tunnels and 25 roundabouts were built, 90.5 km of connecting roads were laid, 18.9 km of noise barriers were installed, and two modern car parks were built in Lithuania. In addition to safety and comfort measures, environmental protection solutions have also been integrated here – the first green bridges and special animal crossings in Lithuania, allowing for the harmonious combination of infrastructure development and nature protection.
Via Baltica is one of the most important north-south transport arteries in Europe, connecting Warsaw and Tallinn (European route number E67, total length – 970 km, of which 269 km run through Lithuania). It is an important link for the economy and the movement of people, as well as for the security of Lithuania and its allies, ensuring military mobility.
Photo: Via Lithuania
