Development of Road Infrastructure in Environmentally Valuable Areas – Sustainable Designing

The paper contains analysis of the problems of sustainable development in terms of road infrastructure development in environmentally valuable areas. We have seen a dynamic development of roads and related engineering objects in the last several years. The aim of the paper is to discuss the issues of sustainable development (and inaccuracies in terms of environmental conditions) influencing on the solution of engineering objects of road infrastructure, including bridges, carried out in the areas of National Parks and Natura 2000 areas. The article presents problems associated with a number of road investments designed and implemented in North-Eastern Poland, for which the authors developed Reports on the environmental impact. They also referred to the road building on protected areas from other countries. Problems arising from the lack of understanding of the preconditions for sustainable development, and on the other hand, construction and building conditions, have been presented. Differences between the approaches of road construction engineers and the requirements deriving from environmental regulations in these areas, have been also elucidated. Solutions making possible to reconcile designers with environmentalists have been pointed out. Analysis of these investments gave the plane to formulate questions and key comments for the solution of problems at the stage of road designing in protected areas. A proper understanding of these issues provides an opportunity to design the environmentally friendly, and at the same time, functional and safe road facilities.