Road Reconstruction From Alaverdi To Georgian Border

The reconstruction of a highway running 58km from the northern Armenian town of Alaverdi to the Georgian border is set to kick off in June, Armenian Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology Ashot Hakobyan said at a government meeting on Thursday.

The road is part of a project designed to rehabilitate and reconstruct Vanadzor-Alaverdi-Georgian border interstate road on a length of about 90 km. The M6 Vanadzor-Alaverdi-Georgian border interstate road is running from the third-largest Armenian town of Vanadzor through 33 communities in Lori and Tavush regions (with total population of 167,416) up to the Bagratashen border crossing point. 

The minister noted that the reconstruction of the section of the road from Vanadzor to Alaverdi is almost completed, except for asphalting. He said the reconstruction of road from Alaverdi to Georgia border will last 900 days.

The Armenian government approved today the conclusion of an agreement with the French Safege consulting firm that will be providing services for the reconstruction of the M-6 highway. The company will carry out calculations for the reconstruction of that section of the road and implement technical control.

The reconstruction project is jointly financed by the European Investment Bank (3.17 billion Armenian drams) and the Asian Development Bank (3.4 billion drams), and is co-financed by the government of Armenia (816 million drams).

The project will shorten the travel time for both passengers and freight between Armenia and Georgia, reduce the transportation cost, and eliminate road safety hazards.

By Shawn Wayne