The impact of road investment projects on the economic activity in the light of companies operating in surrounding environment

The aim of this research was to determine the impact of road investment projects on the economic activity of the enterprises operating in the surrounding environment, using two road projects located in Poznan and Lublin as an example. The research material was collected applying the technique of pen-and-paper personal interviews (PAPI). Standard measures of descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests were employed in the statistical analysis. Most often only small groups of respondents indicated positive effects of the investment project. The results concerning the time of travel on the upgraded sections of the road, which showed a greater tendency to the positive rating of the investment project are the exception. Moreover, statistically significant differences in the perception of the road depending on the investment project location were observed. The research showed that the impact of the investment project on the economic activity in the surrounding environment was more visible in the case of the S19 road than the DK92 road. The investment project’s impact measured in travel time terms was found to be considerably more extensive than the one evaluated on the basis of the economic activity or the annual turnover.