A battle has been raging in Rzeszow for several months over the construction of a flyover in the city center. Residents of the Pulaski estate are calling for an end to the investment, which is expected to worsen their quality of life, while the magistrate makes it clear that the flyover is necessary. How can the impasse of this situation be resolved?
conflict in rzeszowski style
The overpass, which is to connect Hoffmanowa and Wyspianski Streets in the capital of Podkarpacie, has been the subject of years of discussion. The Rzeszow City Council passed a local plan for the site in 2012. The document assumed the construction of overpasses over the tracks. The new infrastructure was supposed to be the answer to traffic flow problems resulting from colliding crossings. Residents, primarily those nearby from the Pulaski estate, are calling for a halt to the investment, but the City continues to insist that it is a necessity. What are the arguments of both sides?
in pursuit of sustainable transportation
Residents of the Pulaski estate and the immediate area point to several arguments against the development. First of all, the new overpass completely breaks up the urban layout of the neighborhood, separating many residents with an architectural barrier from recreational areas or basic services. As critics of the flyover point out, the new urban highway almost ends at the door of the kindergarten. Deterioration of the quality of life for some Rzeszow residents is just one aspect, there is also the issue of the high financial cost (estimates in 2022 said about 120 million zlotys) or the excessive introduction of cars into the center, where there is simply no room for them. Residents point out that one solution could be a tunnel.
The idea of erecting a monstrous overpass over the railroad tracks at Wyspiańskiego and Hoffmanowa streets, in the immediate vicinity of the Pulaski housing development, kindergarten and schools, introducing, according to forecasts, up to a dozen thousand cars a day into thethe already congested city center contradicts common sense, but also the pre-election narrative of Konrad Fijołek - the guarantor of resident-friendly space," points out Pawel Kraus, one of the initiators of public opposition to the construction of the viaduct.
a necessity not to be bypassed?
The city side, however, stresses that the viaduct is necessary, and without its construction the process of developing quality urban infrastructure will be significantly prolonged. As city architect Janusz Sepiol points out, he referred the flyover project to the meeting of the City Urban Planning and Architectural Commission, which did not question the investment, although it pointed out doubts about the solution of the supportless flyover structure. The flyover, according to the city's architect, is also necessary due to the development of the agglomeration railroad, as a result of which the existing crossings will be closed even dozens of times a day.
The situation therefore seems virtually without a good solution. The city is permanently and effectively separated by the railroad. The planned crossing in the axis of Wyspianski Street is a "bearded" solution that everyone, at least for thirty years, should reckon with. This project is not a surprise, some "rabbit out of the hat." The point is that on the eastern side of the railroad, the terrain is not prepared for the smooth distribution of new traffic. However, it seems that with a slightly more flexible or good-willed approach from the military authorities and negotiations with business, which could also enter into more serious talks with the City regarding the old halls, the problem would be solvable," explains Janusz Sepiol.
As our interlocutor points out, in his opinion, the project should not be withdrawn, but should try to improve and enhance it, including using land currently owned by the military (hoping for political will) or, if possible, coming to an agreement with the railroads on the use of supports on their land.
democracy is forged in pain
It is hardly surprising to residents of the Pulaski estate that they do not want the quality of the environment in which they live and function on a daily basis to change adversely. At the same time, it is difficult to pass by the arguments about the construction of the viaduct indifferently.
True democracy is most often forged in pain, and the approach to the conflict is a true test of faith in its ideals. Today the subject of the viaduct needs a hearing of all sides, an open public discussion in which opponents will clash not on emotions, but on arguments. If the City decides to go ahead with this investment without taking protesters into account, it may turn against it. The topic of infrastructure solutions requires open discussion, as a result of which new solutions may emerge.
