The reconstruction of the “Via Baltica” highway is a serious test for drivers

On the territory of the municipality of Marijampolė, the highway “Via Baltica” is under construction. We have hardly ever seen so many types of equipment and people working in one place. From April 14 after changing the order of traffic organization in the reconstructed section near Marijampolė, it is difficult for drivers to understand how to drive. Readers say that when driving from Marijampolė to Kaunas, the new road markings are still relatively clear, only in the dark it is more difficult, but entering Marijampolė from the Kaunas side is really difficult. In addition, traffic jams are troublesome. Sometimes a ten-kilometer section has to be driven for an hour or two. The people of Marijampole discuss this with each other, they write on Facebook.

He sees two problem areas

Aidas, who lives in the countryside and has to commute from Puskelnii to work in Marijampole every day, described the situation in one word – difficult. According to him, due to the demolition of the old overpass, there are two problem areas when driving on the reconstructed section after changing the traffic. When moving from Kaunas towards Marijampolė, near the village of Puskelnii, it is difficult to enter the main road from the fast lane. The second “black point”, according to the interviewer, is when you drive on the highway and encounter a continuous traffic of cars coming from Kalvarija, Warsaw, and you need to intervene.

“This is the place where the old viaduct is being demolished, near the “Moki veži” shopping center. We go around it from the side of Pietarii village. I have to enter the main road from the side road, join the traffic coming from Warsaw and enter Marijampole. This place is a challenge for drivers. Cars drive straight in that direction, and I cross their track to enter Marijampolė. Not everyone lets in, the visibility is not good, the angle is sharp enough, the mirrors don’t always show. You have to turn your head back and look out the side of the window. Perhaps it was appropriate to make a small circle in this place, so that it would be safer, traffic accidents would not occur”, said the resident of Puskelnii.

The section where the last turn to Marijampolė is, in Aida’s opinion, is clear enough, the road signs are well laid out. Atypical signs are even installed and hand painted. Marijampole is shown down and to the left, and to move in the direction of Warsaw, you have to turn right. However, you see lost drivers who take the wrong lane and then have to move in the wrong direction. According to the interviewee, at the place where two lanes appear, on the right – to Warsaw, and on the left – to Marijampolė, one more sign should be repeated. Because drivers do not always notice the road signs in the section under repair, especially if there are tow trucks in front that simply block the sign. According to Aida, these two places are the most difficult for him when entering Marijampolė.

According to the interviewer, there is another problem when driving from Marijampole to Kaunas. Traffic jams are annoying. Congestion started to form after these traffic changes, when you have to enter the main road where the trucks come from Warsaw. You have to park, because not all drivers are polite, not all pass, there are queues. According to Aida, in Marijampolė after the traffic organization changes on the highway on April 14, more traffic jams are also forming. “Perhaps more traffic started driving through the city to avoid confusion,” said a resident of Puskelnii.

The traffic changes were tested from the evening

Daiva, who lives in the village of Puskelnii, said that after the announcement of changes to the traffic organization on the highway at the entrance to Marijampolė, as it was impossible to understand what the information meant, she and her husband did a test drive in the evening. “My husband drove, I watched the road signs and showed where to go, so we managed to get to Marijampolė the first time,” the woman laughed. However, according to the interviewee, there were problematic areas where she and her husband argued about which path to choose. “For me, the most wrong stretch from the direction of Kaunas, moving towards Marijampolė, is the place where the traffic flows towards Warsaw and Marijampolė first meet and then diverge. Those moving towards the border must keep to the right, while those going to Marijampolė must turn left. A lot of road signs have been delivered, they are bright, many times I have seen how workers wash the signs so that drivers can see them clearly, but sometimes they are blocked by tractors driving ahead. Therefore, I understand why some drivers do not find that final entrance and do not get into the city,” said Daiva.

The woman had more observations. It is difficult for those who live in Puskelnai or the surrounding gardens to enter the main road from the acceleration lane at Puskelnai, because there are many cars, one after the other without any gap. The resident notices that drivers, especially truck drivers, are becoming more polite – they simply slow down and let them enter. On the other hand, Daiva is angered by drivers who, in order to pass the repaired section faster, do not comply with the requirements of the Road Traffic Rules. For example, when driving from Marijampolė to Kaunas, in the egg-shaped ring, if there is no obstacle to enter the desired direction faster, simply roll between the pegs marking the ring.

– When you drive this road not for the first time, everything is normal, follow the signs, nothing seems complicated. Of course, traffic jams are bothersome, because the speed on the section being repaired is 10-20 km/h, said Daiva.

He shared his thoughts about the features of the ride on Facebook

The people of Marijampole also discussed the changes in the traffic organization on the highway on the social network “Facebook”. There were many observations that it is not possible to understand from the information provided how it will be necessary to drive on the reconstructed section. Also, residents of Marijampolė, who drove the highway from Kaunas towards Marijampolė for the first time after the last traffic changes, said that it was very confusing and difficult to enter Marijampolė, not one returned to their city from the roundabout towards Vilkaviškis.

“Is it really impossible to connect the red and white boards used to form barriers and thus create safe driving in the right directions?” And put temporary signs indicating the direction of movement. I returned to Marijampolė from the direction of Kaunas… through the ring road towards Vilkaviškis, because I did not see signs indicating where to turn in order to enter Marijampolė at the approaches to Marijampolė,” the Marijampoli woman wrote on Facebook.

“They would make temporary barriers and it would be clear and safe for everyone. If I hadn’t had to drive on the roads under construction in Poland, I would have thought that it was impossible to ensure safety during the works. But experience there shows that it is possible. I agree with your opinion. It’s even better if it’s bright. And if it’s dark and raining, it’s a tragedy. I read those instructions several times on how to drive to Marijampolė, but I didn’t understand it,” wrote another commenter.

The project is extremely complex

Rolandas Gylys, head of the Traffic Police Department of the Marijampolė county VPK, told “Suvalkiečius” that in terms of traffic organization, all the necessary signs have been set up in the section being reconstructed so that it is clear enough to drive. “Naturally, not everyone succeeds in overcoming the track the first time, but it is possible to catch up,” said the head of the traffic police.

According to R. Gylios, one technical accident involving tractors was registered in the reconstructed section during the week. There were no casualties. The congestion only increased. On Monday, Tuesday, during peak hours, there was a 5-6 kilometer queue of cars.

“Via Lietuva” Communications Manager Eglė Nemanytė noted that during road repair works, traffic organization usually changes, so drivers need to be especially attentive, observe road signs and directions. Do not drive on the section where the works are being carried out at a speed no higher than that indicated by the road signs. The ongoing “Via Baltica” project, especially the Marijampolė node, is an engineering complex object, as it is fundamentally being restructured – many structures are being built or restructured in a small area with intense traffic, which makes traffic in this section difficult. “We responsibly select and coordinate traffic organization schemes, we strive to have as many road signs and directions as are necessary to ensure safe traffic. Please note that the excessive number of road signs distracts drivers. Together with the contractors, we once again reviewed the order of traffic organization, the existing organization scheme will be slightly adjusted in the near future. We hope that the changes made will ensure smoother traffic in the facility. However, we point out once again that it is necessary to choose a safe driving speed in accordance with road signs and markings in order to ensure safe travel,” said the Communications Manager.