Working together for the construction of the S15 expressway

“We, representatives of local government units and public institutions responsible for the spatial, social and economic development of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region […] declare our cooperation to ensure that the S15 expressway is included in national plans, and then prepared and constructed along the route Olsztyn – Ostróda – Brodnica – Toruń – Inowrocław – Konin – Kalisz – Ostrów Wielkopolski – Kluczbork – Opole – A4 motorway,” reads the declaration signed today (22 January) during a conference organised by Marshal Piotr Całbecki.

“The matter of expressway No. 15 is moving forward – today we are making concrete declarations. High-speed roads are now seen not only as transport arteries enabling fast and safe travel over long distances; increasingly, they are also treated as instruments for achieving broader socio-economic goals. It is therefore crucial to show that the S15 is not only a transport issue, but a real development stimulus for the region,” emphasised Marshal Piotr Całbecki.

Presentation by Adam Stańczyk, Director of the Department of Development Planning and Regional Cooperation of the Marshal’s Office

The event provided an opportunity to present the results of a conceptual analysis of the route of the new S15 expressway. Although it does not fully follow the current national road No. 15, it serves the same purpose: a fast, efficient, comfortable and safe connection between south-western Poland and Warmia and Mazury. For the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region, the road will be of key importance, as it will significantly improve accessibility not only for Inowrocław and Brodnica – currently located far from high-speed routes – but also for the counties of Brodnica, Rypin, Golub-Dobrzyń, Toruń, Inowrocław and Mogilno, and it will connect Toruń even better with other centres. Nearly 40 local governments will benefit directly from the construction of the expressway.

“I hope that the implementation of the S15 road is not a distant vision. Today we are discussing its corridor and including this investment in the national road construction plans, which is a priority for us. This concerns not only the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region and cities such as Inowrocław, Toruń or Brodnica, but the entire national north-south transport network,” Toruń Mayor Paweł Gulewski stressed in a conversation with journalists.

Importantly, the construction of the S15 should provide an additional development impulse not only for the municipalities it will run through. Local governments located along the existing road No. 15 between Inowrocław and Gniezno, and along road No. 62 between Inowrocław and Włocławek, were also invited to join the initiative. Upgrading these roads to a standard ensuring comfortable and safe travel should be treated as an integral part of the “S15 Project,” and this is the solution the head of the region intends to advocate for.

The idea of building the new expressway was broadly commented on – citing many examples of development opportunities offered by roads of this category for local development – by Prof. Tomasz Komornicki, President of the Committee for Spatial Development of the Country at the Polish Academy of Sciences.

According to participants in the discussion, the implementation of the S15 has strong transport justification, but it also has social and economic significance. One should not forget its military and defence role either, as it will provide another connection to north-eastern Poland, which forms part of NATO’s eastern flank.

Among the signatories of the declaration signed today are Marshal Piotr Całbecki, President of the Regional Parliament Elżbieta Piniewska, Regional Councillors, representatives of conventions of village heads (wójtowie), mayors (burmistrzowie) and county heads (starostowie), as well as – forming the largest group – leaders of municipalities and counties located along the planned route within Kujawsko-Pomorskie. The next step will be to engage self-governments from the other regions along the proposed route: Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Wielkopolskie and Opolskie. The new road may bring significant benefits to each of these regions – economic revival, counteracting transport exclusion, limiting depopulation, and creating new links between major cities. All these benefits strengthen not only individual regions but are also important for the balanced development of Poland as a whole.

Department of Development Planning and Regional Cooperation
& the Press Office of the Marshal’s Office

22 January 2026