Krakow expressway ring will close by December 2026 in phased junction rollout

First traffic changes at Grebalow junction

The General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) will begin a multi-stage opening of the northern expressway network around Krakow, starting with the Grebalow interchange. On Friday, 9 October 2026, at approximately noon, road authorities will introduce a revised traffic layout at the junction. The modification will fully open the roundabout entries and nearly all exits, while keeping the exit to the reconstructed Lowinskiego street toward Kombinat closed. Drivers traveling from Lowinskiego street from the direction of Mistrzejowice, as well as those on the S7 route from the Nowa Huta interchange, will be able to pass beneath the roundabout on a single carriageway without entering the circle. The change will also open an entry ramp from the roundabout onto the S7 toward the Mistrzejowice II junction, alongside an exit ramp from Kocmyrzowska street, while the existing two-way ramp from Lowinskiego street will shift into a one-way entrance.

Kacper Michna of the GDDKiA branch in Krakow described the conditions drivers will encounter during this initial phase.

In this way, we will make available just over a kilometer of one S7 carriageway in Krakow. Let us remember, however, that this will be a drive through a construction site, with one lane in each direction, and a speed limit of 40 km/h will apply.

Opening the Mistrzejowice flyovers

The second stage of the project is scheduled for late October 2026, subject to favorable weather conditions. During this phase, GDDKiA plans to open vehicular traffic along the S7 expressway across the elevated flyovers of the Mistrzejowice interchange. This route will provide motorists arriving from the direction of Kielce and Warsaw with direct access to Nowa Huta, the eastern districts of Krakow, and the A4 motorway. The opening aims to relieve vehicular congestion on Kocmyrzowska street, which has functioned as an informal detour connecting the Grebalow and Raciborowice interchanges by way of Prusy and Zastow.

Michna detailed the operational constraints that will remain in effect immediately following the launch of the overpasses.

At this stage, we will not yet open new exits and entrances at the Mistrzejowice interchange. Drivers traveling along the S7 route from Warsaw will be able, as before, to exit onto the S52 Northern Bypass of Krakow or continue along the flyover and exit at the Grebalow interchange. There will also be no possibility to travel from the S52 Northern Bypass to the S7 towards Nowa Huta.

Closing the Krakow orbital ring

The full opening of the Mistrzejowice interchange is planned for the turn of November and December 2026. This milestone will open the remaining connector ramps between the S7 and S52 expressways, completing the continuous ring of dual-carriageway transit routes encircling the city. Once these links become operational, long-distance traffic arriving from Katowice or Rzeszow will have the option to bypass Krakow entirely along the northern perimeter via the S52 and S7 expressways or along the southern corridor via the A4 motorway. With the completion of this orbital route, Krakow will become the second city in Poland, following Lodz, to possess a complete expressway ring road.

Final connections to the local road network

Road contractors will conclude the project at the end of 2026 by completing local road links at the Mistrzejowice junction. Workers will open dedicated entrance and exit ramps connecting the expressway interchange directly to Petofiego street and Okulickiego street. This work forms the final component of the 18-kilometer northern section of the S7 expressway extending from Widoma. GDDKiA representatives noted that drivers will face numerous minor lane shifts across the construction zone during the coming weeks, requiring close attention to temporary road signs while local traffic on Lowinskiego street remains maintained.