NEW TOLLS ON A2 MOTORWAY FROM 1ST OF MARCH

On 1st of March 2017 new toll fees for travelling on toll sections of the concession-based A2 motorway Nowy Tomyśl – Konin (150 km) for category 1 vehicles (motorbikes, passenger cars) and category 5 vehicles (over-size vehicles) will be introduced by Autostrada Wielkopolska S.A.. The fees for passenger cars and motorbikes shall go up by 2 Polish grosze per one travelled kilometre and shall be equal to PLN 0.38 per 1 km. The cost of travelling on the 106-km section of the motorway between Świecko and Nowy Tomyśl shall not be amended.

The change in toll fees for travelling on the 150-km section of A2 will be introduced on 1st of March 2017 at 6 am, following the end of school winter holidays. The rates applicable from that day on for travelling on each of the three 50-km long sections of the motorway from Nowy Tomyśl to Konin shall be as follow:

• Cat. 1 (motorbikes, passenger cars) – PLN 19 gross
• Cat. 5 (over-size vehicles) – PLN 190 gross

The rates for other categories of vehicles, i.e. II-IV (trucks) shall remain unchanged.

– The rise in toll fees results from the fact that the section of A2 motorway from Nowy Tomyśl to Konin is the only section of A2 that is being entirely financed and operated thanks to the fees collected from drivers. Unlike in case of public motorways where the fees collected from drivers cover less than 40% of the motorway operational costs, the section of A2 motorway: Nowy Tomyśl – Konin is neither subsidized from the budget nor exempt from paying VAT. In order to repay our liabilities and implement the motorway maintenance and upgrade investments the fees need to be increased to cover the actual costs of operating the motorway – says Zofia Kwiatkowska, a spokesperson for AWSA.

The toll fees for travelling on A2 motorway from Nowy Tomyśl to Konin are based on the applicable concession agreement, the long-term financial plan and the traffic forecast. A material factor affecting the fees is the fact that, unlike public motorway, the fees for travelling on the concession-based motorways are not exempt from 23% of imposed VAT and may not be in any form subsidized from the state budget. Every year Autostrada Wielkopolska S.A. and Autostrada Wielkopolska II S.A. pay in nearly PLN 300 million to the state budget for taxes and other public and legal fees.

According to the provisions of the Concession Agreement the revenue collected from toll fees is in the first place allocated to be used for:

– ongoing winter and summer maintenance of the motorway including operation of the motorway,

– the so-called heavy maintenance (heavy maintenance of pavement, repairs and modernisation),

– repayment of bank loans raised for construction of the motorway (a loan from EIB and other commercial banks)

– new investments

• replacement of the pavement wearing course on section Września – Konin
• elaborating and collecting documentation required for upgrading the Poznan bypass (among other, adding the third lane to the 13-km section of the bypass from Komorniki interchange to Krzesiny interchange, adding and upgrading noise barriers)
• preparation of the design documentation required for construction of a Motorway Maintenance Centre in Września