Armenia - Georgia road closed because of rockfall
16.05.2017,
15:25
A section of a motor way running from Armenia to Georgia has been temporarily closed due to a rockfall, the ministry of transport, communications and information technology said.
YEREVAN, May 16. /ARKA/. A section of a motor way running from Armenia to Georgia has been temporarily closed due to a rockfall, the ministry of transport, communications and information technology said. It said the rockfall occurred on Tuesday, at 12:30 (local time), on the 58th km of the Vanadzor-Alaverdi road that runs further to the Georgian border.
"As a result, the movement along the interstate road is closed in both directions. The road is being cleared," the ministry said.
According to the ministry of emergency situations, the closed section of the road is 5-7 meters long and 6 meters wide. The road is one of the two main highways for automobile communication between the countries.
Last summer the Armenian parliament ratified an agreement the government had signed earlier with the European Investment Bank (EIB) whereby the latter will provide a 51 million euro loan for major rehabilitation of the motor way.
The total project investment cost is about $102 million, and is shared by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), EIB, and the government of Armenia. The project is divided into two subsections with approximate equal cost of $40 million (excluding VAT) for each subsection. As agreed, EIB will parallel co-finance the section 1 and ADB will finance the section 2. The rehabilitation was scheduled to begin last s year and be completed within 2-2.5 years.
The project starts from the Vanadzor, the third largest city in Armenia located 130 km north of Yerevan, and ends to the town of Bagratashen at the border with Georgia with a total length of 90 km. Between Vanadzor and Alaverdi (about 44 km), the road goes through a mountainous section with several hairpin bends, steep inclines, narrow bridges, and three old tunnels, which will need to be upgraded.
The road is vulnerable to nature disasters such as floods, snowing, landslides, and falling rocks, which adversely affect the service level of the road, and bring a huge potential road safety risk to road users. 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. -0-
"As a result, the movement along the interstate road is closed in both directions. The road is being cleared," the ministry said.
According to the ministry of emergency situations, the closed section of the road is 5-7 meters long and 6 meters wide. The road is one of the two main highways for automobile communication between the countries.
Last summer the Armenian parliament ratified an agreement the government had signed earlier with the European Investment Bank (EIB) whereby the latter will provide a 51 million euro loan for major rehabilitation of the motor way.
The total project investment cost is about $102 million, and is shared by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), EIB, and the government of Armenia. The project is divided into two subsections with approximate equal cost of $40 million (excluding VAT) for each subsection. As agreed, EIB will parallel co-finance the section 1 and ADB will finance the section 2. The rehabilitation was scheduled to begin last s year and be completed within 2-2.5 years.
The project starts from the Vanadzor, the third largest city in Armenia located 130 km north of Yerevan, and ends to the town of Bagratashen at the border with Georgia with a total length of 90 km. Between Vanadzor and Alaverdi (about 44 km), the road goes through a mountainous section with several hairpin bends, steep inclines, narrow bridges, and three old tunnels, which will need to be upgraded.
The road is vulnerable to nature disasters such as floods, snowing, landslides, and falling rocks, which adversely affect the service level of the road, and bring a huge potential road safety risk to road users. 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. -0-
