Heavy and prolonged ice and snow has taken a heavy toll on Polish roads, as the thaw uncovers thousands of holes, even in recently laid tarmac. 

Drivers always complained about the quality of Polish roads but now, after the thaw, driving has become a nightmare. The number of holes have increased so much that driving has become a discipline similar to a slalom.

Drivers report roads resembling Swiss cheese or a mine field. Some of the holes are bucket wide and deep causing damage to vehicles and making driving treacherous on some routes.

The General Directorate for National Roads and Highways admits that this year’s severe winter has inflicted more damage on Polish roads than any winter before. About 40 percent of major roads have been damaged. The directorate assures that there is enough money to repair them. Minor roads, however, which fall under local administration’s care, will most probably remain full of holes because regional governments have spent their budgets on removing snow from the roads.  

In some regions roads have not been repaired for years. In the south-western town of Grodkow one of the streets has 671 holes in a one-kilometre passage. Some of the holes are one metre wide and one metre deep. Drivers who accidentally drive into a hole pay thousands to repair broken rims, wheels or suspension.  

Winter has not spared even the biggest and richest cities. A record number of holes have been reported in Warsaw.

“This winter has caused as much distraction as the winter in 1979, called the most severe winter in the century,” says Grazyna Lendzion from the City Roads Administration. Over fifteen teams of road workers are simultaneously repairing the streets in Warsaw but it is still not enough. (mg/pg) 

Source: Zycie Warszawy, Gazeta Wyborcza, PAP