It constitutes the only fixed link between two parts of the city and subsequently between the rest of the country and the center of Świnoujście which prior to the tunnels opening in 2023 was accessible only by ferry.

On the right (west) bank, the tunnel joins Fińska Street leading to the end of the S3 Expressway which forms the Polish section of the European route E65.

Proposals for a bridge have been deemed infeasible due to the high costs of constructing a structure with the necessary height to provide sufficient clearance for ships traveling to and from the seaport in Szczecin and risk of disrupting maritime traffic.

An alternative land crossing is possible since the implementation of the Schengen Agreement through German territory, using a bridge across the river Peenestrom, but requires a significant detour.

[5] In 2006 the government of Poland launched a feasibility study which decided to bore a single tube tunnel between the island, however the project was put on hold in 2011 and unfrozen only in 2016.