Poland completes 460-metre ES-24 flyover superstructure on S19 expressway

Cantilever engineering in Zarnowa

Construction crews on the S19 expressway in south-eastern Poland completed the concreting of the load-bearing superstructure for the ES-24 flyover in Zarnowa, situated near Smokowka hill in the Podkarpackie region. The structure is the second largest engineering installation across the Babica to Jawornik section of the highway. Spanning nearly 460 metres in length, the bridge rests upon five concrete piers, with the tallest support pillar rising to nearly 30 metres above the valley floor. The viaduct is engineered as two independent load-bearing structures positioned side by side to carry separate road decks for opposing traffic lanes. Because of the rugged local terrain and the elevation of the supporting piers, contractor Intercor Sp. z o.o. erected the superstructure using the balanced cantilever method. This technique avoided ground-supported scaffolding by building outwards segment by segment with mobile forming carriages.

GDDKiA Rzeszow branch spokesperson Joanna Rarus detailed how the balanced cantilever construction met in mid-air:

Przy wykorzystaniu specjalistycznych, przesuwnych urządzeń formujących, wykonywane było deskowanie, a następnie betonowanie poszczególnych segmentów ustroju nośnego. Prace prowadzono jednocześnie z dwóch stron, od sąsiadujących ze sobą podpór w kierunku środka przęsła, aż do połączenia obu części konstrukcji.

Material volume and outfitting phase

The physical scale of the ES-24 flyover required 22,512.20 cubic metres of concrete and 3,683,285 kilograms of reinforcing steel during structural assembly. The broad dual-deck platform spans the valley to accommodate high-speed traffic flows.

Powierzchnia ustroju nośnego odpowiada powierzchni 25 pełnowymiarowych boisk do siatkówki.

Following the closure of the spans, engineering operations are transitioning to outfitting and finishing the structure. Over the coming months, site workers will install natural stone curbs, cornice fascia boards, and steel crash barriers along the outer edges. Crews will also reinforce and concrete the sidewalk caps along the bridge margins. Deck preparation will involve applying mastic asphalt waterproofing insulation over the concrete deck, followed by the installation of specialized anti-wind screens.

Na płycie pomostu wykonana zostanie izolacja nawierzchni z asfaltu lanego, a całość uzupełnią ekrany przeciwwietrzne. Realizacja tych elementów pozwoli stopniowo przygotowywać estakadę do końcowych etapów budowy i przyszłego udostępnienia jej kierowcom.

Bridge progress across Babica-Jawornik

With the superstructure in Zarnowa connected, overall progress on bridge engineering structures across the Babica to Jawornik section exceeded 90%. The 11.6-kilometre expressway contract requires the construction of eight flyovers, five road viaducts, and four dedicated wildlife overpasses. Seven of the eight planned flyovers now have their load-bearing superstructures finished. Two of the five road viaducts have already been opened to regular vehicle traffic, maintaining local road connections while workers continue assembly on the main expressway corridor. The remaining engineering installations across the hilly route are advancing toward their scheduled completions.

Investment timeline and Via Carpatia corridor

The 11.6-kilometre highway segment is being delivered under a design-and-build contract signed between national road agency GDDKiA and Polish construction firm Intercor in February 2022. The total value of the investment contract exceeds 1.2 billion PLN. The section represents a key segment of the Via Carpatia international transit corridor, a planned transnational route connecting northern Europe to southern European ports. Polish transportation officials expect the entire Babica to Jawornik route to open to commercial and private drivers in 2027.