Construction of the "Friendship" bridge on the Armenian-Georgian  border has started

ArmInfo.A meeting of the Armenian - Georgian intergovernmental joint commission established to coordinate the construction of a new bridge over the Debed River near  the Sadakhlo - Bagratashen checkpoint was held.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Territorial  Administration of the Republic of Armenia, according to the results  of the online session, the construction work of the new bridge  "Friendship"was started.

Welcoming the participants, the Co-Chair of the Armenian-Georgian  Joint Intergovernmental Commission, Deputy Minister of Territorial  Administration of the Republic of Armenia Kristine Galechyan noted  that Armenia attaches great importance to infrastructure development  programs. "The construction of a new bridge near the  Sadakhlo-Bagratashen checkpoint is one of the priorities of the RA  government. This is the focus of public attention and the two  countries should do everything possible for the successful  implementation of the program, " she said, while pointing to the need  to guarantee the quality of the construction of the bridge and the  performance of work in accordance with international standards. He  also praised the efforts of the Georgian government to build a new  bridge.

The Georgian side also pointed out the importance of the construction  of the "Friendship" bridge in terms of convenient and safe border  crossing between the two countries.

During the meeting, the head of the new bridge construction program  at the Bagratashen checkpoint, Isabella Muradyan, presented the  details of the project and its current stage.

According to this, two separate bridges will be built in two  directions at a distance of 1 m from each other. The length of the  bridge will be 386 m, the width of the road - 8.35 m. The total span  width of each bridge is 11.85 m. The bridge will have external  lighting and a drainage system.

The parties approved the project documentation, the list of personnel  required for construction, as well as cargo, vehicles that must enter  the construction zone in a simplified manner. During the meeting, the  need to simplify certain procedures to ensure the successful and  timely implementation of the program was discussed.

The construction of a new bridge over the Debed River near the  Sadakhlo-Bagratashen checkpoint is a joint Armenian-Georgian program,  funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as  well as the governments of Armenia and Georgia. A contract for the  design and construction of the bridge was signed with Ariana Tunnel  Dam Co (Iran). Technical supervision is carried out by the joint  venture Soosung Engineering Co., Ltd ? Korea Consultants  International Co., Ltd. (Korea).

It should be noted that according to the project, the Druzhba Bridge  will be 4-lane, which will make it possible to increase the volume of  freight traffic between the two states, will improve the quality of  passenger service. The new infrastructure project will also save  carriers ' time. Back in November 2018, the Department of Roads of  the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia  announced the start of construction of the Druzhba Bridge on the  Georgian-Armenian border (Sadakhlo - Bagratashen). The ministry said  that a construction company has already been selected to build the  bridge, and the inspection company is currently being selected. The  Friendship Bridge is being built with the support of the Governments  of Armenia and Georgia. The project is funded by the European Bank  for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which has allocated 6  million euros for its implementation. "The project of building a  common bridge is unique for the region: one part of the bridge will  be on the territory of Georgia, and the second-Armenia. The parties  also shared the financing - Armenia will pay 50% of the loan, and  Georgia will pay the remaining 50%, " the report said. At the same  time, it was emphasized that the new bridge will allow motorists to  move freely along the East - West and North - South transit  corridors.

The agreement on the construction of the "Friendship Bridge" between  Armenia and Georgia was signed on December 24, 2014. But on November  23, 2012, Armenia and the European Bank for Reconstruction and  Development signed an agreement on financing the construction of a  new bridge at the main border crossing point between Armenia and  Georgia in Bagratashen. The project will cost the Armenian side 3  million euros.

The loan will be granted for a period of 15 years, of which the first  three years will be preferential with a floating interest rate for  each tranche separately for each half-year. As a result of the  program, the passage of people through the checkpoint will be reduced  from 15 minutes to 5 minutes, and cargo-from 75 minutes to 25  minutes.