Yerevan-Batumi transport corridor may be commissioned in two years

YEREVAN, October 6. /ARKA/. Yerevan-Batumi transport corridor may be commissioned in two years is works are launched now, Armenian Minister of Transport Gurgen Sargsyan told journalists.

The road will reduce the current length (about 700 kilometers) of the route connecting Yerevan with Black Sea by about 30%, the Minister said. If today it takes 10-12 hours to drive from Yerevan to Batumi, the new road will reduce the time down to 5-6 hours, the Minister said adding that the agreement about construction of the new motor road was reached during Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s visit to Tbilisi.

Among the important issues discussed during the visit was creation of Barumi-Akhaltskha-Akhalkalaki-Giumry-Yerevan project that is a part of North-South corridor, the Minister said. Currently, this road, though existing, is very heavy and even impassable in winter time, especially for motor cars.

The Minister pointed out that 170-kilometer-long Akhaltskha-Batumi section of the road goes through two mountain passes (over 2,000 meters above sea level), and construction of a tunnel system may be needed.
Yet, according to the Minister, construction of the road is beneficial both in terms of freight traffic and passenger transportation (Batumi is a tourism center for Armenia).

The Minister reported that the two countries’ presidents instructed the respective agencies to discuss the road construction funding procedure. A consortium option was suggested at the preliminary discussion between the presidents, and the construction is expected to be funded by international organizations. Particularly, the management of the Asian Development Bank expressed willingness to finance the project, the Minister said.

The section of the road from Yerevan to Giumry and from Giumry to Bavra (Armenian-Georgian border) is in normal condition and is a third-category road. During implementation of the project, the category of this section is to be raised to the third at minimum, which implies serious investments and reconstruction, the Minister said.

The cost of the project is to become clear after some preliminary studies. N.V. –0--