Minister Monitors Construction Work on 384.3 km Long Road

During a working visit to the Syunik region, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Suren Papikyan monitored the reconstruction and medium repair works of the Yerevan-Eraskh-Goris-Meghri-Iranian border (M2) international road, which extends 384.3 kilometers. These works are being carried out by eight construction companies.

The Ministry reports that Suren Papikyan, accompanied by Deputy Minister Bagrat Badalyan and other sector officials, observed the progress of works at various construction sites of the highway being restored with state funding. They examined the completed earthworks, the installation of drainage systems, safety elements, and the laying of the road base layer and new pavement.

In problem areas, possible operational solutions and forthcoming activities were discussed with the contractors. Currently, renovation work is ongoing, and by the end of the year, reconstruction works on segments totaling 15.75 kilometers of the M2 road will be completed (from km 126+100 to km 131+500, from km 139+000 to km 142+000, from km 248+000 to km 254+000, and from km 278+400 to km 279+727). Medium repair works on sections totaling 29.2 kilometers (from km 174+100 to km 182+532, from km 190+000 to km 196+000, and from km 204+400 to km 219+800) are also in the final stage.

In these sections, Minister Suren Papikyan urged the contractors and sector officials to continue the works in accordance with quality standards and to maintain high construction rhythms until the deadlines are met.

In a conversation with representatives of the "AAB Project" company, which is conducting the reconstruction of a 12 km section from Paruyr Sevak community to Eraskh (M2 km 65+350 to km 77+350), the minister noted the qualitative improvements in the works. This section's reconstruction was planned to be completed in 2020, but according to the company representatives, the asphalt laying may be finished ahead of schedule this year.

Similarly, the ongoing reconstruction works in the M2 (from km 126+100 to km 131+500) Chiva-Areni road segment are expected to be completed within the same timeframe, although during the oversight, the contractor "Khachhar" LLC raised concerns about issues that emerged during construction. The minister urged the responsible parties to pay special attention to the construction of the drainage system and to ensure the stability of the base layer, expressing hope that favorable weather conditions will allow the completion of work in this section ahead of schedule.

Moreover, the asphalt laying of the upper coating for the 9.5 km long M2 segment from Kajaran to Meghri (from km 354+520 to km 364+000), which is supposed to be commissioned in 2020, will also take place this year. It should be noted that the medium repair works on the 8.2 km stretch of Sisian-Goris (M2 from km 219+800 to km 228+000) have already been completed, as well as the restoration works of the landslide section at kilometers 27 and 28 of the M-17 and the M-2-Kapan-Zav-M2 international roads.

During the visit, other road segments earmarked for inclusion in the 2020 road construction programs were also outlined and reviewed.