ArmInfo.By the end of the year, work on laying asphalt and concrete structures on the Tranche-3 road section (Lanjik-Gyumri section) of the North-South transport corridor will be completed, Head of the Road Department Fund Gor Avetisyan stated during Armenian Premier Nikol Pashiyan's visit to the Tranche-3 road section.
According to him, at the moment 75% of this section, the total length of which is 23 km, is accessible to one-way traffic. And in parallel with the asphalt paving work, work is underway to install road safety elements. The total cost of the construction program for this section is estimated at 38.9 billion drams.
Avetisyan assured that the construction of the Lanjik-Gyumri road, which will have 4 lanes, is being carried out in compliance with all safety standards.
It should be noted that the reconstruction of the Talin-Lanjik section (Tranche 3) of the M1 Yerevan- Gyumri-Georgian border highway is carried out with the support of the Asian Development Bank and the European Investment Bank. Completion of the Tranche-3 North-South transport corridor program (Talin-Lanjik and Lanjik-Gyumri - total length about 41.7 km) is planned as part of the government program for 2021-2026. The contracting company for this section of the road is the Chinese Sinohydro Corporation.
The North-South project will reduce the distance from the Iranian border to the Georgian border from 556 to 490 kilometers. The project will provide access to the Black Sea and European countries through the territory of Armenia
Meghri-Kapan-Goris-Yerevan-Ashtarak-Gyumri-Bavra) and Georgia. Construction of the corridor was originally scheduled to be completed in 2019. The cost of the program was constantly revised upward. Meanwhile, in September 2012, when construction of the highway began, the amount quoted by representatives of the Armenian government was several times less - $962 million. In 2009, the Asian Development Bank already provided more than half a billion US dollars for the construction of the highway.