SARALANJI MOTORWAY OF YEREVAN TO BE READY IN AUGUST
ARKA
April 22, 2008
YEREVAN, April 22. /ARKA/. The construction of the Saralanji motorway
in Yerevan, an AMD 6bln-worth ($19.3mln) project, will be completed
in the middle of this August, Edward Bezoyan, Director of office in
charge of implementation of Lincy-funded road construction programs,
told reporters.
$20.9mln will be spent on improvement of three main motorways in
Yerevan – Tigran Mets Avenue, Komitas Avenues and Saralanji motorway.
"Renovation of Tigran Mets Avenue was completed in November 2007, the
improvement of Komitas Avenue will be completed in July and "Saralanji"
motorway bypassing the capital’s centre connecting Avetisyan and
Heratsi streets will be put into operation in August," Bezoyan said.
Two of the three large transport hubs of "Saralanji" motorway are
ready. Construction is underway on the third hub connecting the
motorway to Mashtots Avenue and Heratsi Street where the tunnel
is located.
AMD 200mln (close to $600,000) were spent on the construction of the
first hub which will ensure an interrupted traffic between Liberty
Avenue, Abovyan Park and Teryan Street. The motorway will further
stretch to Yerevan Railway Station, thus the new motorway will relieve
the traffic in Tigran Mets Avenue allowing a connection of Khanjyan,
Tumanyan, Nalbandyana and Koryun streets to Komitas Avenue.
"Saralanji" motorway is a complex transport network aimed at relieving
the traffic in the centre of Yerevan. The total cost of the project
is $15mln. The project is financed by the Lincy Foundation.
The 2.5-kilometer-long motorway consists of a number of transport hubs
(four crossings, an overpass, a bridge and a tunnel).
The Lincy Foundation is financed by Armenian-American billionaire
Kirk Kerkorian. The first Lincy Foundation program implemented in
Armenia in 2001-2003 totalled $150mln.
A $60mln-worth second program is underway comprising three $20mln-worth
projects – road construction, improvement of Yerevan streets and
schools.