Completed in 1975, Wislostrada is one of the most important arteries crossing the Polish capital. Running along the left bank of the Vistula River, the four-lane roadway covers an area of more than 30 hectares, separating the western part of Warsaw from the river. Is reconnecting the left side of Warsaw to the Vistula River possible? This topic is being considered by Warsaw-based studio WXCA together with the cityNATURA Foundation, which operates thanks to its members.
Since its commissioning in 1975, Wisłostrada has permanently defined the urban characteristics of Warsaw's left bank of the Vistula River. In the absence of an efficient system of ring roads, the route crossing the capital has for years served as one of the primary transportation routes through which both transit and downtown traffic passes. However, its communication qualities are paid for by the seizure by road infrastructure of large tracts of space on the left bank of the Vistula, as well as by noise and air pollution, which are troublesome for residents. As a result of the construction of the Swietokrzyski Bridge, it was decided to hide part of the Wislostrada underground, which resulted in "reclaiming" for the city at least part of the space seized by the road. In 2001, one of the then-longest road tunnels in Poland was built to cover the roadway in the section between the cross-city bridge and Karowa Street. The resulting space was developed for, among other things, the Copernicus Science Center, the Museum of Modern Art pavilion or in the form of Kahl Square. The connection to the Vistula River that was created in this place completely changed the character of a fragment of Powiśle.
MIASTO | OGRÓD | RIVER - a proposal for development of areas on the left bank of the Vistula River in Warsaw.
© WXCA | Fundacja miastoNATURA
going the extra mile
The positive transformation that has taken place thanks to the reuniting of parts of the capital with the Vistula River has apparently inspired the City to announce a competition for the design of the development of another section of the boulevards. The terms of the competition included the inclusion of two new underground structures - the extension of the current Wislostrada tunnel on the eastern side by another 220 meters, and the underground immersion of the section between Plata Desantu and the intersection with Ludna Street. From the very beginning, the City has indicated that these are far-reaching plans, and the proposed concepts for the development of the boulevards are to take into account their eventual implementation. Although the implementation of WXCA's winning concept has been postponed indefinitely, the 2023 local development plan for Powisle Southof 2023, the City Council allows for the Wislostrada to be placed in a tunnel in the sections between the intersection with the Lazienkowska Route and the crossroads at Ludna Street, or even along its entire length. This was enough to arouse imaginations and initiate debates regarding not only the sense of building such tunnels, but also the raison d'être of Wislostrada itself.
A capital without Wislostrada?
Such a discussion was undertaken by the cityNATURA Foundation, which, together with Małgorzata Dębowska and Ola Dobek-Lenczewska of the WXCA studio, presented an analysis of potential solutions to the problem of Wisłostrada's future in 2023. The plans were created as part of an exhibition in the series "Laboratory of Happiness Research. Life after Comfortocene," organized by the Bęc Zmiana Foundation and the Goethe Institute. They can now be seen in the exhibition "Plans for the Future," which is available until November 3 this year at the ZODIAK Pavilion.
MIASTO | OGRÓD | RIVER - a proposal for the development of areas on the left bank of the Vistula River in Warsaw.
© WXCA | Fundacja miastoNATURA
The exhibition showcases three variants, along with their greatest advantages and pains. The first one, which is basic and finds some support in the provisions of the local development plan of 2023, assumes placing the Vistulaostrada in a tunnel along its entire length between the Czerniakowski Headland and the Warsaw Citadel. This is a solution that offers the prospect of reconciling the interests of both drivers and those wishing to reconnect the city to the river. However, the realization of such a concept would have enormous costs, not only economic, and would require significant compromises. As for the financial sphere - here WXCA has estimated the cost of such an investment at as much as 3 billion zlotys. These forecasts are not unfounded due to the scope of the construction work and the need to adapt the planned structure to the floodplain, which is demanding from an engineering point of view. The environment is also likely to suffer from the project, as the construction of such a massive structure would release huge deposits of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Those responsible for the analysis emphasize other disadvantages of the hypothetical tunnel - the need to erect several-story fan buildings and the emerging problem of connecting the underground Wislostrada with the rest of Powiśle. The latter could be solved in two ways - either by building numerous ramps and exits, which would shred the space "regained" thanks to the tunnel, or by leaving it closed along its entire length - making Wislostrada a purely through route, with no connection to Downtown.
The cheapest and easiest to implement option, on the other hand, would be narrowing Wislostrada to two lanes in each direction. However, this is a solution that does not offer significant benefits - indeed, traffic through Wislostrada would be reduced (probably at the expense of its complete congestion), and residents would be able to reach the Vistula thanks to more pedestrian crossings. In practice, cars would still pollute the waterfront area, and the reclaimed land for development would have a negligible footprint. Would it be possible, then, to turn the Vistula River into an urban avenue?
CITY | GARDEN | RIVER - a proposal for the development of areas on the left bank of the Vistula River in Warsaw.
© WXCA | Fundacja miastoNATURA
An alley into Wislostrada
Such an idea is the third proposal presented by cityNATURA and designers from WXCA. Currently, it is difficult to imagine Warsaw functioning without Wislostrada - it is one of the most important routes not only for city traffic, but above all for people just passing through Warsaw. This, however, is about to change, because in the future it is planned to launch the Prague section of Warsaw 's downtown ring road, which is expected to take over a significant part of the traffic served so far by Wislostrada. In the face of this change, keeping Wislostrada in its current form seems unauthorized. Therefore, architects from WXCA propose a concept of transforming the great artery into a downtown avenue surrounded by buildings, with a streetcar line. Thanks to such a solution, it would become possible to completely transform the areas on the left bank of the Vistula, which would be overgrown with new buildings and parks. The city would once again regain its connection with the river in the form of a new, green and multifunctional center. According to the authors of the proposal, the elimination of Wislostrada in its current form would also be beneficial from an economic and environmental point of view. So are there any contraindications?
MIASTO | OGRÓD | RIVER - a proposal for development of areas on the left bank of the Vistula River in Warsaw.
© WXCA | Fundacja miastoNATURA
The winding road to the Vistula River
There is no denying that the disappearance of the Wisłostrada would be a turning point in the history of downtown Warsaw. Such a significant interference with its landscape and transportation structure would certainly meet with loud opposition from the motorized part of society. Implementation of the project would therefore require the initiation of work only when the traffic served by Wislostrada actually, organically begins to move to the still-planned downtown ring road. However, these are not all the difficulties associated with the implementation of this concept. After "reclaiming" huge tracts of land, the City will have to think extremely carefully about a new way of developing them. Full commercialization of this space must not be allowed, which would probably end up producing a developer development with an offer aimed at the wealthiest, thus excluding a significant part of the population from the group of beneficiaries of this important change. On the other hand, handing over part of the Vistula waterfront for development to private investors could significantly boost the city's budget, providing finances for, for example, the development of public transportation, which would compensate for transportation shortfalls after the disappearance of Wislostrada. This is probably only a fraction of the problems that would arise if the liquidation of Wislostrada in its current form really happened. This is not a scenario completely divorced from reality, which is why it is so important to start the debate now.
