Football championship musings

More careful readers are wondering why this post has appeared at all. I was going to be on holiday, yet for the whole fortnight preceding the outset of it, I had been struggling problems with sore throat, then I came down with laryngitis (the prescribed antibiotic did not cure me), which eventually morphed into a fully-fledged bronchitis, with typical symptoms, such as wheezing in the chest and high fever, in the eve of my departure.

So eventually, instead of setting off to get some rest and enjoy sightseeing, I ended up stranded at home and for three days even in bed. I wonder why some people call it “leisure”. You feel off-colour, dizzy, your activities are confined to reading books and newspapers or watching films. Admittedly, touching the culture is highly commendable and even recommendable if in your everyday hustle you have little time to do it, so staying in bed gives a chance to catch up. Inactivity tears me apart!

I got a sick leave, so holidays I took at work will be cancelled and I will be entitled to take days off later. As for now, I am on my way to recuperate for good and plan to set off again on Sunday. Unfortunately I will also have to return on Sunday to fulfil all my obligations at work. But I will manage to squeeze my plans into that short period anyway.

Being on a sickie also helped me avoid all tribulations triggered in Warsaw by Euro 2012. I did observe the football craze last Friday, on inauguration day. Hundreds of fans were hanging around the centre of the capital from early morning. In the afternoon the city was full of fans, dressed in white and red attires, most heading towards the National Stadium or the fan zone. Fortunately I was not attacked by anyone, as inadvertently I was wearing blue jeans trousers and a blue shirt with white stripes, so I was clad in colours very similar to the Greek flag.

The worst day during the championship in Warsaw was supposed to be Tuesday, when Russia : Poland match was played. Before the sporting events, Russians fans decided to march collectively towards the stadium. Some said this parade was held to commemorate 400th anniversary of siege of Moscow, but Russians have not screamed out any political mottos. The Group was attacked by Polish hooligans (not mistake for football fans) and eventually 184 persons, including 156 Poles, were detained. Some have already faced charges.

It was not meant to be an uneventful day, but unlike many commentators, I realise it could have been much worse. Widespread riots have not broken out, relatively few innocent people have been injured, I have not caught out any reports of shop windows or cars vandalised. Polish policing forces and true football fans have risen to the occasion. Both Polish and Russian fans merrily celebrated the 1:1 draw until late night – this is how the football fiesta should look.

Nevertheless, I am still appalled by the atmosphere that surrounded the game. Many Poles’ attitude towards the event was that it was a matter of honour to beat Russians, our ever-lasting enemy and tormentor. The key goal was to wpierdolić ruskim (literally and to put it mildly, ‘to beat up Russians’), both on the football stadium in the match, as well as to show the Russian football fans they have not come to a friendly country. Some hools did manage to demonstrate their hostility towards Russian football fans, but generally relationships between the two nations have not been shuttered in the wake of reprehensible incidents.

The political backlash has also made my hackles rise. Generally the match had a political and historical setting and given the rancour between the two countries, this was hard to avoid. But reactions seem inappropriate to me.

Deputy Mariusz Błaszczak from PiS pointed out that rowdy Russians have provoked a scuffle. OK, taking into the stadium a huge “THIS IS RUSSIA” transparent was out of place, but the very march had no political purport. If there was a sporting event in Russia on 15 August, Poles should also be granted a right to stage a march. Even if Russians were to demonstrate their superiority over Poles, the best way to cope with such acts is to let them pass unnoticed. Do not respond, if the have a peaceful character!

Major of Warsaw apologised to all football fans for misdeeds of Polish hooligans. Agreeably, a proper official gesture following the street battles. But why the hells has prime minister Tusk apologised to president of Russia for the hapless goings-on? Such acts of violence do accompany football matches, so why hell should this become a topic of official talks between the statesmen? Is the foreign policy towards Russia indeed run on knees?

In ancient times wars and conflicts were suspended during Olympic games. Now animosities are unlikely to be shelved. Instead the atmosphere of impending clash is being heated up by sensation-chasing media and politicians who never miss the opportunity to play on voters’ emotions… This will take generations to change.

For an optimistic ending, Poland still stands a chance to stay in the championship, if our team wins with Czech Republic on Saturday. This is conceivable, and if it happens, despite my lack of faith in the Polish team, I will be immensely proud of them.

Time to take back the prophecy of doom

OK, Poland has not made such significant stride in infrastructure development, as Mr Tusk had promised in his inaugural speech in November 2007, but the progress is visible. Almost all roads, planned to be finished before the football championship, are still under construction, some long behind schedule, but road-builders have pulled up their sleeves and prepared a huge surprise for motorists.

A lot is being built in Poland, but every observer’s eyes have been focused on the 91-kilometre long section of A2 motorway linking Warsaw to Łódź and then with the European network of motorways. At the beginning of April, in my road construction programme summary I wrote:

A2 motorway – great to have a toll road (with some short free of charge sections) all the way from the German border east to Stryków, where on a big junction A1 and A2 one day will meet. But then in Stryków masses of football fans travelling from the western Europe will end their journey via up-to-the standard roads and will continue the drive to Warsaw through old, congested National Road 2. There’s no chance that two out of five sections of A2 between Łódź and Warsaw forsaken in June 2011 by bankrupt Chinese companies will be finished, or at least passable. Funnily enough, two sections near Warsaw are almost finished, so there’s a contingency plan that they are opened, as scheduled (the one closest to Warsaw even one month before deadline), but does it make any practicable solution. The motorway would end in the middle of nowhere somewhere near Grodzisk Mazowiecki. For the locals – a great link to the capital, for transit traffic – a useless facility..

Given the progress of works at that time, I could not believe this road would be opened just before Euro 2012. I am not ashamed of my lack of faith in road-builders. I dare to claim my pessimism was fully justified. Only as time went by, it faded and gave way to glimmers of hope in completion before the sports event. A2, being one of very few roads planned to be opened before Euro 2012, was divided into five sections, marked with letters from A to E (A – closest to Łódź, E – closest to Warsaw), each built by a different lead contractor and set of subcontractors. Works kicked off late – in autumn 2010. This delay in putting together all the necessary documentation and obtaining all official permits meant deadline for completion was very tight. Tenders for two sections were won by a Chinese consortium COVEC. The Asian company bid to build a motorway at dumping price and hence beat all competitors. The contract in Poland, deliberately quoted much below real costs, was, in COVEC’s plans, a way to get foothold on the European market. Unfortunately, COVEC’s financial planners have overestimated financial strength of their company and in mid-2011 the bankrupt Chinese contractors left the unfinished road, unpaid subcontractors and guarantees issued by Chinese banks with which the Polish government still hassles. Construction works have been halted for two months, before resumption in late July 2011. Section A was taken over by Eurovia-led consortium, while building of section C, with the biggest delay, was conducted since then by Dolnośląskie Surowce Skalne. The latter firm has also overreached itself. It caught up with many works, but due to liquidity problems filed for insolvency in March 2012. Its bankruptcy was formally declared in April. From March the hapless section has been under administration of Boegl a Krysl (Czech-German enterprise). Guys worked night and day, weather permitting, to make the road passable in early June. Almost nobody believed in success; many pointed at potentially poor quality of hastily done works (time will prove these concerns right or wrong), others yelled the road would be only “passable”, not completed and hence dangerous for users.

According to official declarations, the motorway would not be opened before Euro 2012 and in mid-May the transport ministry presented official detour guidelines, showing how to pass by the unfinished section C. These were contingency plans…

Opening festival began in the third decade of May. Section E to Pruszków was opened on 23 May, its extension, section D to Grodzisk was opened on 29 May, section A and short part of section B (only the latter has been completed, most of section A lack the last layer of stone mastic asphalt) was opened on 3 June and 6 June went down in history as the day when the whole motorway passable. Laying the last layer of tarmac was finished on 5 June, then construction crews assembled signage, crash barriers and painted lane-dividing lines. So drivers can enjoy a problem-free, hour-long journey from Warsaw to Stryków near Łódź, but sections A and C will have to be finished after the football championship (which does not mean any closures).

Despite everything, against all odds, football fans travelling to the capital of Poland from western Europe by car will get to Warsaw in a civilised way. They will surely end up in a traffic hell in Warsaw, but who cares?

Last days also saw the completion of part of S8 expressway in northern Warsaw and opening of two S5 and S11 sections near Poznań. Yesterday southern bypass of Gdańsk was thrown open, making a great alternative to ever-congested notorious ul. Kartuzka. Next openings are scheduled for July and then by the end of 2012 Poland is going to have a much broader network of expressways and motorways. Unfortunately this year there is no chance that part of Warsaw’s southern bypass is finished. Construction of this short expressway got under way a few months before works on A2 started. A2 is now at use, while S2 and S79 have one-year delay and its contractors are still taking their time.

It has to be noted the government-funded infrastructure development programme has brought the construction industry to its knees. The best example of this collapse are bankrupt DSS (general contractor of A2 section C) and PBG (general contractor of the National Stadium in Warsaw) and its two subsidiaries that filed to bankruptcy this week. All companies profit and loss accounts would show they are profitable (albeit with significant margin squeezes), but further analysis of their financial statements draws to a conclusion liquidity squeeze (late payments from Road Construction & Administration Authority / over-competitive prices) killed them and their subcontractors, who have fallen victims of co-operation with reputable industry players.

Corporate bonds issued by these companies hit valuation of many “safe” investment funds, write-downs on loans granted to them are hitting many banks, for many meaning nine-digit losses and being a substantial drag on profitability. The bank I work at is quite conservatively run and it least is not considerably exposed to the ailing sector, so at least it spares my colleagues and me troubles.

I must say the football championship does not rub off on me. I do not root for the Polish football team (although as a Pole I wish them well), I have not bought any Euro 2012 gadgets, I generally find the whole event a nuisance rather than a reason to be excited…

I’m off for holidays for two weeks. The computer stays at home, so expect the next posting with holidays coverage (or something else, provided a noteworthy event occurs) around 24 June

Roads to nowhere...

For starters, a disclaimer – it’s April Fool’s Day, but please don’t try to seek out any joke in this posting (with hindsight, there’s one, linguistic). The topic broached today is, in the light of the imminent European Football Championship, no laughing matter… I travelled recently around Poland, had the opportunity to see the progress of road construction works, found out about the advancement of developments I couldn’t look over in Skyscrapercity relevant threads and the summary of what I’ve learnt appears pretty dire.

Let’s bring this chaos into numerical order… A helping hand is lent by continually updated stats coming from the ever-excellent Skyscrapercity forum – map and table. For the sake of brevity and my limited time frame, only the most important undertakings are listed below.

A1 motorway – three sections between Toruń and Łódź are to be opened on 30 April 2012. I drove over the A1 near Stryków last week and the road is almost ready, with sound barriers installed and lamp posts turned on, but the last layer of tarmac didn’t seem laid (was in the evening, so I’m not sure), but on Friday I cut through it near Kutno, where National Road 92 and A1 are to cross and I’m sure they won’t make it…

A2 motorway – great to have a toll road (with some short free of charge sections) all the way from the German border east to Stryków, where on a big junction A1 and A2 one day will meet. But then in Stryków masses of football fans travelling from the western Europe will end their journey via up-to-the standard roads and will continue the drive to Warsaw through old, congested National Road 2. There’s no chance that two out of five sections of A2 between Łódź and Warsaw forsaken in June 2011 by bankrupt Chinese companies will be finished, or at least passable. Funnily enough, two sections near Warsaw are almost finished, so there’s a contingency plan that they are opened, as scheduled (the one closest to Warsaw even one month before deadline), but does it make any practicable solution. The motorway would end in the middle of nowhere somewhere near Grodzisk Mazowiecki. For the locals – a great link to the capital, for transit traffic – a useless facility.

S2/S79 expressway – what a botch-up. The section from Junction Puławska, through Lotnisko to Marynarska was, according to preliminary plans, supposed to be opened in December 2011 and then in April 2012. If it is ready in April 2013 it will be a success, given the current progress of works, chiefly the fact that digging the tunnel under Warsaw-Radom rail line, is just about to kick off… Shame! The section from junction Lotnisko to junction Konotopa, where S2 will turn A2 and meet existing S8 section has a bit of better progress, but if any part of the Southern bypass of Warsaw is opened by the end of this year, I’m a Dutchman. And the rescheduled opening day is 31 August 2012. I don’t believe it!

A4 motorway – running from the Polish-German border in Zgorzelec, through Wrocław, Opole, Silesia to Kraków was supposed to be finished up to the Polish-Ukrainian border. No such luck, road builders are in the forest…

S7 expressway running from Gdańsk to Zakopane is a big blend of single- and dual-carriageway sections. Some, including southern Gdańsk bypass and some section in Warmia, which could come in useful for me in August, when I’m heading to Olsztyn… I’m finding it hard to judge whether the Nidzica – Olsztynek section (crucial for me) will be opened for traffic… On the other side of Warsaw I have to admit the already opened sections of expressway between Grójec and Kielce superbly facilitate the drive to the former destination.

S8 expressway – oh, how to cut the long story short. Wrocław has a beautiful bypass, which incidentally has a status of motorway (and prime minister Tusk pledged it would not be a toll road). Heading towards Warsaw we come across a few kilometres long expressway being a bypass of Oleśnica, two expressway sections are being built between Wrocław and Oleśnica and between Oleśnica and Syców. There were scheduled to be completed in late May 2012, now they might be passable then, but finished in the second half of the year. Further sections of S8 between Syców and Łódź are to by built by 2015. Additionally there is a huge 100-kilometres long section of National Road 8 dual carriageway being modernised to fit the parameters of an expressway. Driving there between Piotrków Trybunalski and Mszczonów is a big nuisance and guess what – this undertaking won’t be finished before football championship as well (deadline of 5 June 2012 is out of reach)… Further north S8 looks like S7, i.e. you have a few kilometres of new expressway and then take a break to drive a section of old National Road 8 which takes you to another section of S8, on and on. New expressway sections of S8 north-east of Warsaw to be opened this year are the bypass of Zambrów and Białystok-Jeżewo section. But the most urgent ones, not started yet, are the bypass of Marki and a road out of Warsaw south, passing by the ever-clogged-up Raszyn and Janki…

The saddest thing about the whole Road Construction Programme is not that it was designed to serve the next generations, but only to modernise road infrastructure before the oncoming football fete. I also hold the opinion we shouldn’t be ashamed of how Poland looks (we’ll be, just look at how W-wa Zachodnia station), but it’s not a primary goal to make the roads passable for Euro 2012. Football fans will see a big construction site, or rather mess, so I don’t see any point in excessive hurrying to finish some works before the championship, if the haste would impinge on quality of the ventures. These roads should serve for years to come Poland and its economy, not to foreign footballs fans, who’ll come here for three weeks, spend some money here and return to their homelands.

I’m not a football fan, so in June I’ll surely watch a few games, but I’ve scheduled my summer holidays from 11 to 21 June and I’ll be glad to stay away from Warsaw. I’ll going by car, so I would appreciate anyway, if some of the roads I mentioned (sections of S8 from Warsaw to Wrocław under construction) had temporarily the status of “passable”… On 29 March the parliament discussed the so-called “passability law”, which is set to allow to temporarily use of unfinished, but passable roads (with some limitations), legal implications are unclear…

Won't make it before Euro 2012

Not much time has passed since I wrote about privatisation flop, but BGŻ IPO is a petty failure in comparison to big delays in Polish big road construction programme.

The road-building programme in Poland is one the longest ever developed in the world. Its beginnings can be traced back to late 1970, when socialism in Poland reached its growth limits and central-planned economy began to wound down. Late 1970s were the time when construction of Berlin-Moscow motorway was due to kick off. It did get under way, but soon works ceased for next 30 years. 1980s were the time of dreadful economic misery; in 1990s few roads were built. Road construction programmes saw better days in late 2000s, but the pace of development was surely too low. Before workers coul set out to work, clerks had to get to grips with all bereaucratic procedures that drag on and on. Then local residents showed how NIMBY approach works in practise, at the very end some eco-terrorist chained themselves to trees and put back to onset of construction works.

Finally, Poland became a big construction site (to draw on official propaganda dictionary) in 2009. Bereucratic procedures were completed, National Road Construction Programme was passed in parliament, Poland received a generous cash injection from EU funds for investments in infrastucture and, last but not least (to make the post look like a school essay) there was a big motivating factor that spurred the road construction spurt - the imminent Football Championchip due in 2012. According to all plans, most expressways and motorways are due to be opened less than two months before Euro 2012.

A big stride was essential if Poland wanted to play host to one to two millions of football fans coming from all over Europe. Our infrastructure was so run-down and underdeveloped that it required a huge effort to bring the whole mess into order. It was doable, but everything was launched far too late and schedules were so demanding that a small delay could pull the house of cards down. The time for facing the truth has come.

Real problems emerged recently. The glitch in construction of stairway on the National Stadium in Warsaw will postpone its opening ceremony by a few months, but it still doesn't herald any disaster, as it will be opened a few months before the first football match kicks off. Other stadiums are currently finished and they will be completed. Worse is the case of motorways, with key section linking Łódź and Warsaw. Tenders for five sub-sections have been won by three companies, including a Chinese overseas construction company - COVEC. In May it was revealed that COVEC failed to pay its subcontractors, the Company had serious problems with liquidity and it turned out that the construction project was beyond their capacity. Works on construction sites have been suspended and now the Polish government runs negotations with the Chinese company. The infrastructure minister avowes the motorway will be 'passable' (not mistake for 'finished') in early June 2012, but there are few people who believe it...

There's no doubt this motorway is simply vital to make driving from Warsaw to Poznań bearable. Actually from Warsaw to Poznań it even is, but the other way round it is much worse. Once you get off the motorway in Stryków, the ordeal begins. I travelled there last time in April and the journey lasted over six hours - average speed was then lower than 50 kmph... Next time I'll go to that Client by train...

For me much more necessary is the southern bypass of Warsaw which should facilitate everyday commuting to work. It is also quite sure that the section from Konotopa to Airport will not be finished - progress on construction of some junctions is pitiable and there is no chance it will be caught up. Plus there are some other obstacles, such as a council block still waiting for a demolition with its dwellers waiting for an eviction. Until today I had some glimmer of hope for construction of "Elka". Today I ventured to scrutinise the progress of works on the junction of the bypass and expressway towards the airport and ul. Marynarska and all my hopes were dashed...

I ventured there in the morning. The route, taken with all possible shortcuts, was covered on bike within 35 minutes. To the right - I cycled through a path linking Mysiadło and Jeziorki, at this time of the year more and more overgrown by grass and weeds, yet still cycleable. Just after taking this shot my camera signalled its battery was low so I gave up snapping until reaching my destinantion. Later it turned out it just bluffed, just like every mobile phone does when it cries for charging long before a battery is down...

I went up ul. Nawłocka, ul. Trombity, ul. Kórnicka, ul. Baletowa and the pot-holed ul. Hołubcowa. Then turned left and trespassed onto private property (I noticed the peculiar traffic signage on my way back, I still have remorse, caused by my innate respect for other people's privacy).

Then came the inspection. To my surprise ul. Hołubcowa still cuts across the bypass. The tarmac wasn't even ripped off the local street. Looking east - looks like a road in the future. In a distance one can see a flyover that takes ul. Poloneza over the expressway.

Looking west - and I'm totally disillusioned - the tunnel under the tracks is not digged in. When peeking at the site from trains I suspected the works were much more advanced, in fact the tunnel under the tracks still waits for its time...

Seeing the site from the train has the drawback of seeing everything very shortly. Getting there on foot doesn't give the opportunity to see everything anyway. Access to most parts of the site is restricted, and this is correct, but little can be seen if one does not look from above. To the right - I suppose this is a viaduct that will take the regular S79 road towards ul. Marynarska. Or not...

I took two more photos, but as they show very little stuff, there's no point in uploading them. The whole journey wasn't as enjoyable as planned, as despite hanging around for over a quarter I couldn't even snap any plane touching down... On the site the camera did not moan about battery running low so on my way back I could indulge in snapping... To the right - ul. Hołubcowa near ul. Sztajerka - a really enchanting place, but I wouldn't dare to go there by car... Unless I was a SUV-owner... Not, this is not a reason, nor a justification to buy such ridiculously big vehicles...

The next snap shows a run-down house by ul. Baletowa. Three years ago part of the roof wasn't sunken...

Where ul. Kórnicka meets ul. Trombity I turned back and spotted billows of smoke wafting somewhere over Okęcie. Back home I checked the news in the Internet and found out another bus was ablaze...

And at the very end, another pot-holed road, ul. Nawłocka. I don't know who imposed a speed limit of 40 kmph, as I would be afraid to drive there at more than 20 kmph, unless I was very intent on doing down underchassis of a vehicle... Maybe in a winter driving here on beaten snow would be safer...

At the end of the day I've reconciled to the thought these roads won't be finished by the football championchip, I don't want them to be finished that soon because I know haste would do more harm than good. I would rather see them opened in two years and finished properly. And for June 2012 - time to think about taking holidays and staying away from Warsaw when crowds invade the capital :)