Direct highway from Amsterdam to Warsaw
A consortium under the leadership of consultancy and engineering firm DHV, in a commission from the Polish government, will supervise construction of the A2 highway between Lodz and Warsaw. The new highway will be inaugurated in May 2012, thus offering a direct highway connection between Amsterdam and the Polish capital for the European Football Championship. The contract’s total value amounts to EUR 9.5 million.
The championship takes place from 9 June to 1 July 2012 in Poland and the Ukraine. Chris Engelsman, DHV’s director for Europe, says that "the infrastructure is essential. The Ukrainian city of Dnepropetrovsk was initially on the list of cities where games would be played, but because of insufficient progress in the construction of the infrastructure around the airport, another city was selected. We’re therefore going to work very hard to have the highway ready in May 2012."
The consortium, consisting of DHV, Arcadis, and the French company Egis, is responsible for design verification and construction supervision of the 91-kilometer highway. The total cost of the highway's construction is estimated at 3.2 billion Zloty, or about EUR 760 million. The project is commissioned in five contracts. "It is naturally a very attractive contract that allows us, as a Dutch consortium, to make a contribution to the 2012 championship and thereby further assist the Polish economy," says Engelsman. The project's official client is the Polish General Directorate of National Roads and Motorways.
DHV has been established in Poland since 1992. "The country is one of our most important growth markets," says Engelsman. "With our staff there of 450, we are one of Poland's largest engineering consultants." DHV is active in Poland in the planning, design, and supervision of a variety of sustainable infrastructural projects for transport and water.