ArmInfo.In 2024, construction of various sections of the The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) will continue. Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia Gnel Sanosyan stated on October 31 at the RA NA Standing Committees discussions on the draft state budget for 2024.
According to him, 42.5 billion drams will be allocated for the implementation of the project. By the end of this year, the construction of the Lanjik-Gyumri road section will be completed, but work on improving the road will continue next year. Work will also continue on two sections of roads from Ashtarak to Talin, 2.8 km and 34 km long, for one of which the construction works are ongoing, and for the other one, a contract was recently signed with the contractor. Work will soon begin on the construction of a 32-kilometer section on the southern section of the corridor - the Agarak-Kajaran road. The state budget also provides for the construction of a bypass road in Gyumri and a section of the Sisian-Kajaran road.
The Minister also said that in April 2024, work on the development of design and estimate documentation for the repair of the Dilijan and Pushkin tunnels will be completed. 0.6 billion drams will be allocated for these purposes. Based on the research results, a search for sources of funding will begin. The Minister emphasized that these tunnels have not been repaired since they were put into operation.
The project of the North-South transport corridor with a total length of 556 km will provide access to the Black Sea and to European countries through the territory of Armenia (Meghri-Kapan-Goris-Yerevan- Ashtarak-Gyumri-Bavra) and Georgia. The investment program is aimed at ensuring connections between the north (border with Georgia) and the south of Armenia (border with Iran) through transport communications that meet high international standards and access to world markets. Construction of the corridor was originally scheduled to be completed in 2019. Meanwhile, it is now becoming obvious that the implementation of the program may take another 5 to 10 years. The timing of the project will depend on funding, pace and quality of program implementation. Construction will cost $2 billion, since its southern section alone will cost about $1.5 billion. Meanwhile, 6 years ago, in September 2012, when construction of the highway began, the amount mentioned by representatives of the Armenian government was more than double less - $962 million.
