ADB joins construction project of southern section of North-South  corridor

ArmInfo. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing Armenia with significant assistance in implementing the North-South transport corridor construction project. This was stated by Narek Zulalyan, Deputy Executive Director of the  Road Department Fund, during a press tour dedicated to the 20th anniversary of ADB's cooperation with the Republic of Armenia.

According to him, three loan agreements were concluded with the Bank in order to implement the program, and the work on the first of them has already been completed.

Moreover, as Zulalyan emphasized, the construction of road sections is carried out in such a way that they can provide connection of residents of several villages with the main highway. "For example, in the Aragatsotn region of the republic, residents of the rural communities of Aruch, Kakavadzor and Agarakavan will have access to the main highway with a length of 34 km. It is planned to build nine road junctions here, which were agreed upon with local communities at the design stage. These junctions were created, first of all, for safe access of residents to the main highway. All paving works on  this section have been completed, and safety elements and a drainage system are currently being installed," Zulalyan explained. He also added that within the framework of cooperation with the ADB, it is planned to build a modern road from Yerevan to Gyumri, which will be a first technical class highway with two traffic lanes in each direction. The width of each lane will be 3.6 meters. The Deputy  Executive Director of the Fund noted that earthworks are ongoing on this 34 km section of the road. Construction work on them is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025, after which the road will be opened for two-way traffic. The cost of this stage of the project is $76 million.

Zulalyan also mentioned the construction of a section of the road near the village of Landzhik. He noted that the cost of construction work on this section was $60 million. "The work here was completed in October 2022, and since then the road has been open to two-way traffic. The length of this section is 18.7 kilometers," Zulalyan added.

U.S. $60 million in loan funds were attracted from the ADB under Tranche 1, another $170 million was received from the ADB under Tranche 2, the Ashtarak-Talin section, 42 km long, and $100 million in ADB loan funds were attracted for Tranche 3, on the Ashtarak-Talin, Talin-Gyumri section (Talin-Landzhik section - 18.7 km). Speaking about the Ashtarak-Talin section of the road, 8 kilometers long, Zulalyan noted that final work is being carried out there. He reported that the road section has already been completely paved in three layers, and the construction company is currently installing a drainage system. In addition, according to him, metal barriers have already been fully installed, and it is expected that this work will be completed in July, after which the road will be opened for two-way traffic. According to Zulalyan, there are no markings on this section yet, but they will also be started soon. "The drainage system will be along the entire length of the  North-South highway. Depending on the amount of water, the road will  have an appropriate slope at each section, and drainage systems will be built," Zulalyan noted. Touching upon the construction of the Sisian-Kajaran section of the road, which is also financed by the ADB, he noted that preparatory work is currently underway. According to Zulalyan, the length of the road will be 60 km, and the ADB is financing the northern part of the road to the Bargushat tunnel. He added that one interchange in the Agarak-Voskevaz area and 31 artificial structures are planned for this part of the road. As the  deputy executive director of the fund explained, this includes  crossings for agricultural machinery, passages for livestock,  drainage systems, overpasses and more.

On March 18 this year, Armenia and the ADB signed a loan agreement in the amount of 236 million euros for the construction of the northern section of the Sisian-Kajaran road of the North-South transport corridor.  Within the framework of the agreement, it is planned to build an asphalt concrete road with a length of 27.1 km, resistant to difficult climatic conditions and natural disasters, which will reduce the length of the Sisian-Kajaran road section. As a result, the duration of trips will be reduced, the average speed of vehicles will increase, and the comfort and safety of trips will increase. The construction of a new section of the Sisian - Kajaran road with a length of about 60 km, including the Bargushat tunnel, is planned to  begin in 2025. The work will be carried out in three subsections: the northern section - 27.12 km long, the Bargushat tunnel section - 8.65 km long and the southern section - 24.25 km long. A total of 708 million euros in credit funds will be required for the construction of three sections of the road section. The new 60- kilometer Sisian-Kajaran road will be of the second technical category. It will pass through a difficult mountainous terrain, will include 27 bridges with a total length of 4.7 km and 9 tunnels with a total length of 12.5 km (the longest Bargushat tunnel is about 8.6 km long). The pre-qualification stage of the international tender for this project has been completed, with applications submitted by 23 companies from Europe, China and other countries. Of the total financial assistance  package from the EU to Armenia in the amount of 2.6 billion euros over the next five years, 600 million euros will be directed to the construction of the Kajaran-Sisian road. Another 200 million dollars will be provided by the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development, 500 million dollars have already been allocated by the ADB. The 60-km- long road section will have a design speed of 80 km/h.

The North-South Highway is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the history of independent Armenia. It will reduce the distance between the Iranian and Georgian borders from 550 to 490 km, speed up transit through the country and create new logistics opportunities, including the transportation of goods from Iran to the Black Sea.

The Asian Development Bank has been working with Armenia since 2005. As of the end of 2024, the Bank has implemented numerous projects in Armenia worth $1.9 billion, which were aimed at developing the transport, financial, energy and water sectors, and other infrastructure.