Acta Scientiarum Polonorum

From the moment when Poland acceded the European Union, the country gained access to large amounts of financial resources e.g. for the development of road infrastructure. However, the use of the funds was restricted by legal procedures related to the preparation and accomplishment of these investments. For enhancement of the investment process with regard to these issues, the Polish Parliament enacted a special road law, commonly known as the “specustawa”, on acquiring land for public projects. It became effective in 2003 and will remain in force till 2020. Because this law is in effect already for over 10 years, the paper analyses both positive and negative effects of its implementation. It was confirmed that the “special law” is an indispensable legal act for fast accomplishment of a road network in Poland. It is readily, effectively and maximally utilized in the process of preparation and accomplishment of road investments. The accumulation of several administration procedures in one act gives the investors several legal possibilities of effective and fast accomplishment of such objects. However, procedural simplifications in the act increase the risk of committing an error, with irreversible effects, both technical and legal. The main problems linked with the implementation of the “special law” include the value of the pay compensations for the acquired land and attempts of expropriation beyond a range that is indispensable and necessary for the accomplishment of a scheduled road investment.