Dr. Heller at the panel discussion at the first congress of the GDDKiA

On 29 September 2017, Generalna Dyrekcja Dróg Krajowych i Autostrad (General Directorate of National Roads and Motorways, abbreviation: GDDKiA) held its first congress. More than 450 delegates from GDDKiA headquarters and all 16 regional offices gathered in a conference center in Jachranka, near Warsaw.

The General Directorate is the central authority of the Polish Government, subordinate to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Construction. It manages the national roads and is responsible for the implementation of the state budget in this area. In recent years, it has invested in gigantic road construction projects in Poland, thus significantly increasing the country's infrastructure standards.

After all, Poland was still considered Europe's largest construction site a short time ago: When Poland joined the European Union in 2004, there were only 470 kilometers of motorways, some of which were in poor condition and 200 kilometers of expressways. With the large-scale road construction projects of recent years, there are now 1,650 kilometers of motorways and 1,550 kilometers of expressways. The construction standard of the Polish motorways is one of the highest in the world. It is important to emphasize that most of the investment comes from European Union funds.

In four panel discussions, central topics related to the road sector were discussed during the congress. Dr. Slawomir Heller, owner of HELLER Ingenieurgesellschaft and acting head of the working group Asset Management - Dissemination and Education of the World Road Association PIARC, participated as an acknowledged expert in the discussion on "Road Asset Management as a Challenge of the Future".