Autostrada Poludnie and the Polish Government suspend the contract to build the A1 toll road

Autostrada Poludnie, a consortium headed by Cintra Infraestructuras, and the Polish government have failed to reach an agreement for the construction and management of the A1 toll road between Stryków and Pyrzowice. The contract, signed on 22 January 2009, was conditional upon the concessionaire and the Administration reaching an agreement on the economic parameters of the concession within one year. During that period, Autostrada Poludnie asked for modifications to the commercial conditions in order to make the project economically and financially viable for its sponsors and acceptable to the Administration. Cintra had arranged the support of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for financial closure of the project. Ultimately, the contract expired without agreement between the parties. The 180-km A1 project is part of the Trans-European North-South Motorway.