Motorway law change paves way to Euro 2012
Reuters - Tuesday 21 February 2012, 16:57
Poland, hoping to avoid the
embarrassment of not opening several major roads before it
co-hosts Euro 2012, wants to modify laws to allow the use of
unfinished motorways.
The centre-right government said on Tuesday it would push
through changes giving conditional clearance for cars to drive
on highways missing non-essential facilities, including petrol
stations or sound barriers, as long as they are deemed safe.
The builders would also be temporarily spared the need to
get the green light from environmental authorities, which often
takes months or years to secure.
Poland's efforts to upgrade its dilapidated infrastructure
before the football tournament it hopes will highlight its
economic success, have encountered numerous bumps in the road,
including red tape and financial troubles of some contractors.
In the most high-profile case, Polish authorities scrambled
last year to find a new builder for a section of a key highway
linking Warsaw to its western neighbour Germany after cancelling
a deal with China's COVEC over unpaid sub-contractors.
With less than four months to go before Euro 2012 kicks off,
Poland has 1,065 kilometres (662 miles) of motorways and 580 km
under construction, with several other projects put off
indefinitely.
Poland's sports fans breathed a sigh of relief earlier in
the day after authorities cleared Warsaw's National Stadium to
stage its first match after delays had raised questions over the
readiness of the venue that is scheduled to host the opening
match of Euro 2012.
Poland is co-hosting the June 8-July 1 tournament with
Ukraine.