The road from the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius to the northeastern Polish town of Augustow, which runs through the so-called Suwalki Gap, is expected to be upgraded and adapted for military mobility by mid-2028.
This is outlined in the draft action plan for implementing the Lithuanian government’s programme.
Authorities plan to upgrade the 113-kilometer road linking Vilnius, Alytus, Lazdijai, and Augustow, along with eight bridges, as part of efforts to develop the so-called Alternative Suwalki Corridor.
“This corridor provides an alternative route to Western Europe via Poland if the Via Baltica corridor is blocked or needed for other purposes in a crisis,” Transport Ministry spokesman Lukas Paškevičius told BNS.
Lithuanian Transport Minister Eugenijus Sabutis and Polish Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak agreed in Warsaw in January to jointly apply to the European Commission for funding to adapt the Augustow-Vilnius route for military mobility needs.
The Suwalki Gap is a land strip of around 100 kilometres on the Lithuanian-Polish border, wedged between the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the west and Belarus on the east. Politico has described it as “the most dangerous place in the world”.
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