Thursday, August 8 2019 18:19

ArmInfo. The Armenian government intends to speed up the construction of the Argavand - Shirak bypass road. At a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on  August 8, it was decided to direct AMD 3.5 billion from the state  budget for these purposes.

Presenting the draft decision, Minister of Territorial Administration  and Infrastructures of the Republic of Armenia Suren Papikyan noted  that the new bypass road, being built with the financing of the Asian  Development Bank, will become part of the North-South transport  corridor. Its length will be 9.4 km and a width of 24 meters. Budget  funds, as the minister noted, are necessary due to the shortage of  credit resources. The project is being implemented as part of the  sustainable urban development investment program. The construction of  the road will relieve the capital of Armenia.

It should be noted that within the framework of the " Sustainable  Urban Development Investment Program 2", work is also underway on the  construction of the Babajanyan-Ashtarak highway. The new road with  uninterrupted traffic will have 6 lanes 24 m wide and 9.4 km long.  The road will be equipped with internationally recognized LED  backlighting .

In February 2017, the Armenian parliament ratified the $ 112.97  million loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (Sustainable  Urban Development Investment Program 2) signed on October 13, 2015  for the construction of bypass routes in Yerevan to relieve the  center of the capital. The loan was provided as part of the second  part of the " Sustainable Urban Development Investment Program".  Routes under construction will allow unloading the central streets of  the capital, as well as connecting the main routes with the standing  North-South corridor. The agreement is a continuation of the  implementation of the sustainable development program, which has been  implemented in the capital since 2011 and which is planned to be  completed by 2020. As part of the first tranche, it was planned to  modernize the roads from the intersection of Yerevan streets  Arshakunyats - Bagratunyats to Noragavit, with the continuation  towards Artashat highway and connecting with the North-South highway.  The second tranche is planned, in particular, to extend the road from  Noragavit to the intersection of Argavand - Shirak streets, from  there to Babajanyan streets in Sebastia Malatia, up to Ashtarak  highway, and the third direction - from the Davitashen bridge to the  Ashtarak highway.

Armenia joined ADB in 2005 and is part of a group of countries with  mixed (concessional and conventional) financing. ADB works to reduce  poverty in the Asia-Pacific region by stimulating economic growth and  regional integration.