ArmInfo. In 2020, about 500 km of au roads will be repaired in Armenia. Of this amount, the government at a meeting on May 14 approved a program for the modernization of 185.3 km of roads.
As Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan noted in his speech, 17.4 billion drams will be allocated from the state budget to implement the task. It is envisaged, in particular, to overhaul and carry out an average repair of 97 km of interstate roads, 59 km of the republican and 33 km of the regional. In addition, it is planned to upgrade two transport nodes. The Deputy Prime Minister said that within the framework of the program, tenders were held to identify contractors for the repair of 241 km of roads, another 80 km of tender procedures are ongoing, and the construction of the M-6 road (from the city of Vanadzor to the border with Georgia) is ongoing. Tigran Avinyan noted that the road rehabilitation process is ahead of the schedule.
It should be noted that in April of this year, the Armenian parliament ratified the agreement with the World Bank on the second, additional financing of the program for the restoration of vital roads. In May last year, the Board of Directors of the Bank approved additional funding of 13.4 million euros for the "restoration of the vital road network" program. Resources will be provided through the WB structure - the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. With these funds, 61 km of vital roads in Aragatsotn, Ararat, Gegharkunik, Lori and Syunik regions will be additionally repaired. The loan is provided on a variable spread basis, with a grace period of 14.5 years with a total repayment term of 25.5 years. The total cost of the program is estimated at 16.76 million euros, of which financing of 3.35 million euros will be provided with the participation of the government. The total length of the road section within the framework of additional financing will increase to 450 km, of which 299 km have already been restored.
To recall, in the first stage of the program to improve the vital road network, a vital road with a total length of 170 km was restored. Moreover, due to the saved funds of the program, it was possible to restore more than envisaged - roads with a total length of 41.1 km. According to the World Bank, despite significant improvements in the road network over the past 10 years, 40% of Armenia's roads still remain in poor condition and for one third of the rural population the road is not accessible at all times of the year. The country still needs significant investment in restoration and conservation. Limited market connections and poor road conditions impede the development of trade in rural areas, which in the case of some communities can result in significant losses. Additional funding will also help Armenia improve road safety and assess the real cost of road accidents for people and the economy.
