From March 2027, the entire A4 expressway – from the German border to the Ukrainian checkpoint – will be toll-free for passenger cars and motorcycles. The General Directorate for National Roads and Highways (GDDKiA) has already announced a tender for the demolition of toll plazas on the Gliwice–Wrocław section, while the concession for the Katowice–Kraków segment expires in early 2027, ending all payments on the busiest east-west route in Poland.
Although tolls for passenger cars and motorcycles on state-managed sections were abolished in July 2023, the physical infrastructure – booths, lane barriers, and canopies – remained in place for nearly three years. Now GDDKiA has decided to remove them entirely. The Katowice branch of the road authority published a tender covering the dismantling of five toll plazas between Gliwice and Wrocław: Kleszczów, Opole Zachód, Opole Wschód, Brzeg, and Przylesie Dolne. The contractor will also be responsible for restoring the road surface and adapting the former plaza areas to free-flow traffic.
Demolition of toll plazas begins
The tender marks the physical end of the pay-per-use system on the Wrocław–Gliwice stretch, which has been free for over two years but still forced drivers to slow down at empty booths. The GDDKiA expects the removal work to be completed by mid-2027, weather permitting. – We are dismantling the toll plazas because the collection system is no longer needed and the empty structures only cause confusion and potential hazards – powiedział rzecznik GDDKiA, cytowany przez „Rzeczpospolitą”.
The operation covers all elements of the former toll gates: lane dividers, payment machines, barriers, roofs, signage, and even the concrete foundations. After demolition, the sections will revert to a standard dual carriageway profile, with no reminders of the former toll system.
End of the Stalexport concession
An even bigger change is coming to the Katowice–Kraków section of the A4. The private concession held by Stalexport Autostrada Małopolska expires in March 2027. Under the terms of the agreement, the 60.9-kilometer stretch will then be handed over to the state GDDKiA. – The concession for the Katowice–Kraków section expires in March 2027, after which it will become a public road with no tolls for passenger cars and motorcycles – stwierdził analityk rynku transportu.
Drivers currently pay about 34 zł for a one-way trip on this concession segment (with discounts for electronic toll collection). Once taken over by GDDKiA, the same rules will apply as on the rest of the state-managed A4: free passage for vehicles under 3.5 tonnes. Heavy trucks and buses will still be subject to the national e-TOLL system, but for the vast majority of road users, the entire A4 from the German border in Zgorzelec to the Ukrainian crossing in Korczowa will be completely free.
The move is expected to significantly cut travel costs for commuters and long-distance drivers, reduce congestion at the former toll points, and improve road safety by eliminating sudden braking zones. It also simplifies route planning for those driving across southern Poland.
Źródło: wnp.pl, Fot. Shutterstock/FotoDax
