Brussels, 10/12/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Investment Bank (EIB) is to provide two loans to help Poland develop and upgrade its road transport infrastructure. A loan of €500 million will finance the A2 motorway section in central Poland between Stryków on the outskirts of Lódz and Konotopa close to Warsaw. The new motorway follows Poland's major East-West transport axis on the priority trans-European transport corridor linking Warsaw and Berlin. The EIB has already financed several parts of the A2 Motorway. This loan will increase the Bank's loan commitment towards the completion of this motorway to some €2.1 billion. A second loan of €325 million will support on-going rehabilitation of the Polish local road network, covering road pavements, bridges and other structures located all over the country. EIB funds will help to increase transport quality and capacity to face better the growing traffic demand and bring the road network in line with EU standards. Hitherto, the EIB has signed loan contracts focused on the rehabilitation of the Polish national roads amounting to some €1.5 billion. The Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK), acting on behalf of the National Road Fund of the Republic of Poland, is the borrower and, in both cases, the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Poland is the promoter. EIB loans for the Polish road sector, managed by GDDKiA, have reached €4.2 billion. (O.L./transl.rt)