‘This powerful drill will crush not only the layers of earth, but it will break the barriers of inability, submission and weakness,’ this is what Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said at the ceremony marking the start of work on the digging of the tunnel under the Świna River. During the ceremony in Świnoujście, the Prime Minister stressed that his dream was a strong coast.
Today the drilling of the tunnel under the Świna River is beginning – the investment will connect the Uznam and the Wolin Island. At present passenger-car ferries travel from Wolin Island to Uznam Island, which has an administrative and service centre and a seaside district with tourist and spa facilities, at two crossings – Warszów and Centrum.
The cost of building the tunnel is over PLN 912 million, of which more than PLN 775 million is a grant from the European Union. The rest of the city of Świnoujście covers the Polish budget. The work is expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2022.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński and Minister of Infrastructure Andrzej Adamczyk took part in the ceremony.
‘This powerful drill will crush not only the layers of the earth but will break the barriers of impossibility, submission and weakness. Because many projects in Poland, necessary for normal development, have encountered such barriers for several decades. This tunnel itself has been planned for decades, probably since the 1960s when the first projects were created. But we know that from design to implementation, the road is sometimes very far away. This path is driven by political will, determination and readiness to act. This readiness is essential,’ said the Prime Minister in his speech at the ceremony.
As Mateusz Morawiecki added, the government was determined to make this investment.
‘The Polish State was ready to finance this construction from our budget if it turned out that obtaining funds from other sources might be difficult and impossible. It was ready to be realized because just as strengthening the coast was the dream of the Second Republic, so we are continuing that work. Our dream is a strong coastline, which is not only a window on the world but which integrates Poland with the world and strengthens our chance for development,’ he pointed out.
There was also a reference to the controversial Nord Stream 2 investment:
‘The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline passes nearby. It is an expression of the imperial aspirations of our eastern neighbour. We must be able to pursue our interests in these increasingly difficult circumstances’