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A1 in time for kick-off

6/8/2012 1:53 PM CET
Article

It’s time for kick-off in Poland. Euro 2012 will draw large crowds of soccer fans from all over Europe. And getting to the games in Warsaw, Gdansk, Poznan and Wroclaw requires an excellent infrastructure – such as Skanska’s A1 expressway that links Gdansk to central Poland.

Our contribution also includes bypass roads and bridges, as well as new green offices in the cities where the championships are taking place. The 150-kilometer four-lane expressway section has created a fast link between the Baltic harbors in northern Poland and the central regions of the country. The A1 also represents a major improvement in road safety. Road accidents fell by 20 percent. On average 25,000 vehicles daily use the road.

The project is a 35-year Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement starting in 2004. Construction took place between 2005 and 2011. The phases were completed earlier than planned. The road project was a huge undertaking in terms of the people involved. Skanska recruited some 1,500 employees and many have remained with Skanska, which is expanding its business across Poland.

Green as a soccer pitch

Although we did not build the arenas to be used in the European soccer championships, Skanska has nonetheless made a major contribution in the green field. Green LEED Platinum offices are currently being developed in three of the Euro 2012 cities. In Poznan there is the Malta House, in Warsaw Green Corner and Atrium 1, in Wroclaw the completed Grunwaldzki Centre and the first phase of Green Towers will be followed by the Green Day office project.

Also, Skanska has built bridges in both Poznan and Wroclaw, and bypass roads will facilitate traffic to and from the matches.

Read more about the A1 road project at Projects/A1