Polish part of Via Baltica route officially opened
The construction of the Via Baltica route in Poland was completed at the beginning of October, when the final section, the entire Łomża bypass, was opened to traffic. On October 19, the Presidents of Poland and Lithuania took part in the opening of the final section on the Lithuanian side, connecting to the Polish border.
Via Baltica, part of the international road E67, connects Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with Poland. This route is the only high-capacity road linking the Baltic States with Poland and the rest of Europe.
From the border crossing with Lithuania in Budzisko to Ostrów Mazowiecka, it follows the S61 expressway and then continues along the S8 to Warsaw. The route serves as the most important road connection between the Baltic countries — from Helsinki through Tallinn, Riga, and Kaunas — and Poland as well as Western Europe. It is also part of two corridors of the European TEN-T transport network: the North Sea–Baltic Sea Corridor and the Baltic Sea–Black Sea–Aegean Sea Corridor.
A key element of the construction on the Polish side was the Łomża bypass and the bridge over the Narew River valley, which is 1,205 meters long and currently the longest bridge in the Podlaskie Voivodeship.
During the opening ceremony, the Presidents of Poland and Lithuania emphasized both the economic importance of the new route and its significance for the security and defense of the entire region.
In parallel with Via Baltica, the Rail Baltica project is being developed — a modern railway infrastructure built to European gauge standards, designed to provide fast connections between the Baltic States and the rest of the continent. The first sections are scheduled to be completed by 2030.
