Using the example of three inner-city transport arteries in Warsaw: the W-Z route (from the 1940s), the southern section of the Marszałkowska (from the 1950s) and the Lazien-kowska route (from the 1960s – project and 1970s – realisation), the problem of transport links in the existing urban fabric was shown. The time frame and scale of the changeover provide an insight into the problem of laying new arteries, not only in terms of solutions to improve urban transport but also in terms of the changing approach to historical architec-ture, in case of collision with the need to modernise the inner-city area.