ACCIONA, in consortium with its Polish subsidiary Mostostal Warszawa, has celebrated the breakthrough of the first tunnel tube on the S 19 Rzeszów Południe–Babica highway, a key milestone in one of the most complex underground engineering projects in Europe.

During the ceremony, broadcast live, attendees witnessed the cutting head of the tunnel boring machine “Karpatka” break through at the northern portal, officially marking the completion of the excavation of the first 2.25-kilometer tube of the two that make up the tunnel.

To complete the tunnel’s internal lining, a total of 11,020 precast concrete segments were installed. These were manufactured by the consortium itself. The tunnel boring machine installed them in rings of 10 segments, creating a watertight and durable structure designed to withstand challenging geological conditions.

This breakthrough represents a particularly significant achievement for the project team, which has faced major challenges such as the complex ground conditions and the tunnel boring machine’s diameter of more than 15 meters. Despite these challenges, ACCIONA achieved this milestone while meeting the highest technical standards.

The tunnel is part of the S 19 highway, integrated into the international Via Carpatia corridor, which will connect Lithuania with Greece through Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. In Poland, the route will span approximately 700 kilometers, and the Podkarpackie section where the tunnel is located will become strategic infrastructure to improve north south connections and support the region’s economic development.