ArmInfo.The State Agency of Azerbaijan Automobile Roads has published photos from the construction area of a new road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, bypassing the Berdzor (Lachin corridor). The alternative road, as previously stated by Azerbaijani officials, will be used by both Armenians and citizens of Azerbaijan.
The report notes that the length of the new road will be 32 kilometers. "According to the project, the width of the carriageway of the two-lane road will be seven meters, the width of the roadbed - 12 meters," the report says.
Large-scale construction work is currently underway along the road. The construction of a four-span bridge 139.5 meters long at the 22nd kilometer of the highway is at the final stage.
"The construction of a new highway is being carried out under the control of the leadership of the State Agency of Azerbaijan Automobile Roads. The work is being carried out according to the schedule and in compliance with the technological sequence. The necessary forces have been involved in the construction to complete the work this year," the report says.
The sixth paragraph of the tripartite statement dated November 9, 2020 reads that "by agreement of the parties, in the next three years, a plan will be determined for the construction of a new traffic route along the Lachin corridor, providing a connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, with the subsequent redeployment of the Russian peacekeeping contingent to guard this route. Azerbaijan undertakes to guarantee the safety of movement of citizens, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin corridor in both directions." The new road will pass through the villages of Hin Shen and Mets Shen of Nagorno-Karabakh.
In February of this year, Saleh Mammadov, chairman of the State Agency of Azerbaijan Automobile Roads, said that the road under construction bypassing the city of Lachin will be put into operation by July 2022. "The length of this road will be 28 km, of which 17 km have already been laid. The commissioning of the road is scheduled for July this year," Mammadov said. According to him, this road will connect 6 villages of the Lachin region. "Currently, Armenians are passing through Lachin. The alternative road, which is being built around Lachin, will be used by both Armenians and our citizens," Mammadov said.