Project description

The A1 motorway forms the country’s economic backbone along the north–south axis, connecting the ports of the Tricity area with the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Area. In addition to serving transit traffic, the Pyrzowice–Piekary section also provides connections within the metropolitan area and convenient access to Katowice International Airport in Pyrzowice.

Key design considerations

Challenges that required precise project coordination.

The motorway runs through an area characterised by challenging geotechnical conditions resulting from shallow mining and post-mining activity, as well as the presence of the Radzionków Fault. Numerous underground voids and mine shafts were identified using a range of geophysical investigation methods.

Areas affected by historic mining activity required the use of various protective structures, including a unique solution designed for the section crossing mining-related faults. Particular attention was given to the Radzionków Fault, located within the Piekary interchange area. Before construction, the surrounding rock mass was stress-relieved using a controlled blasting method.

For the first time in Poland, an integrated system was installed to provide continuous monitoring of ground behaviour beneath the structures protecting the motorway embankment. The analysis incorporated, among other parameters, data on seismic tremors, changes in groundwater levels and ground deformation beneath the embankment structure.