Tunnel under the Świna River — a project crucial for the region and all of Poland

The tunnel under the Świna River, which connects the city of Świnoujście to the rest of Poland by road, is part of Poland’s striving to catch up with the development level seen across Western Europe. "The construction and launch of the tunnel is an act that relates to Świnoujście, to the comfort of living in this city, to the connectivity with the whole of Western Pomerania and Poland, but also to the greatest issues of our nation", Jarosław Kaczyński stressed. "We are now demonstrating that what had plagued our country, namely the inability to take action and undertake great public projects, is history", he added.

The Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that all of Poland’s regions must develop and strive to attain the highest level in this respect. "We will follow this path. This is especially true for Western Pomerania, which is strategically important for Poland and the Poles", he stressed.

Permanent link to Świnoujście with no need to wait for a ferry

The tunnel brings enormous benefits to all Świnoujście residents, who had to take a ferry daily to cross the Świna River. This was even more difficult during the holiday season due to increased tourist traffic and hours-long queues to get aboard. Ferry operations were also dependent on weather conditions, which, on occasion, could cause the city to become virtually cut off.

Now, it takes 3–4 minutes to drive the new route, including Poland’s longest underwater tunnel, which is considerably shorter than crossing the Świna River by ferry.

Świnoujście beach access problem to be solved

Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński also addressed an issue raised by the Świnoujście authorities — limited access to the beach and the sea due to such reasons as increased security measures around the Świnoujście LNG Terminal. "We will solve this problem", stressed the Deputy Prime Minister. "There are other ways to ensure the area’s continued availability for tourism and recreational purposes. Please do not worry about that", he added.

Tunnel underneath the Świna River

The initial decisions on the construction of the tunnel under the Świna River were taken as early as 2007 when Jarosław Kaczyński was Prime Minister. However, the project was not pursued further under later governments. Only after the United Right regained power did it become possible to proceed to the implementation phase.

Tunnelling under the Świna River began in 2021. The tunnel itself measures 3 km in length. Its main structure is a single-nave tunnel (two-way traffic on a single carriageway). The investment project was financed primarily by EU funds under the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment. The project’s commencement was made possible thanks to the government's support in obtaining EU funding. This was achieved through a competition procedure involving the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Centre for EU Transport Projects. Previously, the tunnel had not been included in the list of tasks for EU funding.