Sądeczanka is getting closer. Nowy Sącz is contributing 7.8 million zł, with the total cost expected to be 8 billion.

In the article:

• The Sądeczanka is expected to be about 47 km long, with two lanes and two traffic lanes in each direction.
• The total cost of the project is estimated at nearly 8 billion zł, and the travel time from Brzesko to Nowy Sącz is set to decrease from over an hour to about 30 minutes.
• Construction of the most advanced sections is currently planned for 2030-2031. Two controversial sections may have to wait until around 2035.

The Sądeczanka with a concrete shape

The General Directorate of National Roads and Highways and Nowy Sącz signed an agreement regarding the preparation of the 9-kilometer section from Tęgoborze to Nowy Sącz. Of this, 5.8 km will be located outside the city limits, while 3.2 km will be within the city area.

Nowy Sącz’s contribution to the preparation of this investment will be around 7.8 million zł. The funds are intended to cover part of the costs for developing the program concept and conducting archaeological work. The city participates in financing due to its status as a town with county rights — the mayor is responsible for managing public roads within its borders.

The contract for preparing the program concept for the entire Tęgoborze-Nowy Sącz section is worth over 12.5 million zł. GDDKiA signed it on July 14, 2026, with the Transprojekt-Warszawa and Infra – Centrum Doradztwa consortium. The documentation is meant to specify, among other things, the design of the future road, the parameters of bridges and overpasses, their construction methods, and the geological conditions. Detailed geological surveys and archaeological work are also planned. According to the current schedule, the documentation should be ready by December 2028.

All five sections are already covered by contracts

On November 9, 2026, GDDKiA signed the last missing contract – for the program concept of the Okocim-Uszew section. Krakowski Protechnicon will receive 3 million zł and has 20 months to complete the documentation. Thus, all five segments of the new DK75 are now covered by contracts regarding preparatory work.

The entire route is divided into sections: Okocim-Uszew at 3.6 km, Uszew-Wytrzyszczka at 19.7 km, Wytrzyszczka-Łososina Dolna at 5.7 km, Łososina Dolna-Tęgoborze at 9.2 km, and Tęgoborze-Nowy Sącz at 9 km.

This does not mean that the entire route is already ready for construction. Three sections – Okocim-Uszew, Wytrzyszczka-Łososina Dolna, and Tęgoborze-Nowy Sącz – have their routes determined and are being prepared for subsequent phases.

According to current plans, tenders for the “design and build” approach for these sections could be issued in 2027-2028. Construction is currently expected to begin in 2030-2031, although the dates may still change as preparatory work progresses.

Two sections may still change

More uncertainties exist regarding the Uszew-Wytrzyszczka and Łososina Dolna-Tęgoborze sections. Their route has drawn opposition from some residents and local governments. The environmental decision for Sądeczanka, based on variant C, remained in effect in December 2025. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Infrastructure ordered additional analyses to determine whether the road could be constructed differently on these two disputed sections.

If the current route is maintained, road builders will be able to proceed with further design work. If the route is changed, a new environmental decision may be required.

In such a scenario, GDDKiA currently anticipates the possibility of issuing tenders in 2033, with construction starting around 2035. However, these are preliminary dates dependent, among other factors, on the results of analyses and the progress of administrative procedures.

Controversy also surrounds the route into Nowy Sącz itself. According to local reports, the route passing through the Zabełcze neighborhood may require the demolition of around 40 buildings. City officials emphasize that these plans could still be adjusted in later stages of design.

47 km of road for almost 8 billion zł

The new DK75 is expected to be approximately 47 km long. It will not be officially classified as an expressway but as a GP-class road—designed for main accelerated traffic. It will feature two lanes with two traffic lanes in each direction, as well as collision-free intersections. Seven junctions are planned: Gnojnik, Czchów, Iwkowa, Witowice, Tęgoborze, Dąbrowa, and Nowy Sącz.

The significance of this investment is best illustrated by the situation in Nowy Sącz itself. According to GDDKiA, it is the only city of this size in Poland that still lacks a two-lane exit via a national road. The Sądeczanka project aims to change this situation and provide a much faster connection to the A4 highway, Kraków, and Tarnów.

The estimated total cost of the project is nearly 8 billion zł. The new road is intended primarily to divert transit traffic away from the current DK75 and significantly shorten travel time between Brzesko and Nowy Sącz. Currently, traveling about 50 km takes over an hour. According to plans, travel time could be reduced to around 30 minutes after the project is completed.

The current DK75 is crowded and dangerous

Approximately 21,600 vehicles use the current DK75 daily in the Nowy Sącz area. Safety is also a concern. Between 2017 and 2024, 298 accidents occurred on the 47-kilometer stretch between Brzesko and Nowy Sącz. 34 people died and 439 were injured, 127 of them seriously. One in four fatalities were pedestrians.

GDDKiA cites failure to yield priority, drowsiness or fatigue, and improper overtaking as the main causes. The new route is intended to separate local and through traffic. Once opened, the current DK75 will primarily serve as a local road.

A section of Sądeczanka already exists

There are also sections that drivers are already using. In January 2025, about 3 km of the western bypass of Brzesko was opened, connecting DK94 in Jasieniu with the roundabout in Okocim on DK75. It is from this point that the new road is set to continue toward Uszwi.

The bridge over the Dunajec in Kurowo, completed in 2021, is also ready. It was designed to eventually become one of the lanes of Sądeczanka – a second bridge will need to be built for the opposite direction.

Preparations thus already cover the entire route from Brzesko to Nowy Sącz, but many years remain before the project is completed. According to the current schedule, the most advanced sections might start construction at the beginning of the next decade. For the remaining two sections, much depends on whether the current route can be maintained or if further changes will be necessary.

Piotr Sobczyk