The 'Hayrenik' Transport Hub Not Included in Yerevan's Development Plan: Fip.am Study

Fip.am has responded to a Facebook post by Yerevan City Council member Tehmine Vardanyan on November 16, discussing the transport hub project adjacent to the 'Hayrenik' cinema.
'Dear city residents, I must disappoint you once again. Forget about this project. It is not included in the five-year development plan presented by the mayor, nor is there any vision for constructing an underground or overground passage. There is no construction of any traffic alleviation flyover/hub!', wrote the council member.

Fact-checking platform has decided to clarify why this hub is not included in development plans, and whether the municipality has abandoned this project.
What transport hub is being discussed? In February 2019, Mayor Hayk Marutyan made a Facebook post stating that he and Chief Architect Artur Meshchyan were discussing the transport hub project adjacent to the 'Hayrenik' cinema.
'It will significantly ease traffic at the intersection of Arshakunyats Avenue and Garegin Nzhdeh Street by ensuring continuous traffic,' noted Marutyan.
The mayor's spokesperson, Hakob Karapetyan, later revealed that the construction cost of this hub would be around $4 million.

Thus, according to Tehmine Vardanyan, there is no project in Yerevan's five-year development plan, which means the project will not materialize. Upon examining the Yerevan development program for 2020 as well as the five-year plan for 2019-2023, there is indeed no mention of this project. Therefore, we contacted the Yerevan municipality to clarify why it is not included in the city’s development plans.

When will this project be realized? In response to the inquiry from the municipality, it was stated that currently, the priority is the construction of the Babajanyan-Asharak and Argavand-Shirak road segments, which would somewhat alleviate the city center's congestion as well as Arshakunyats Avenue itself.
'Only after easing traffic on Arshakunyats Avenue will it be practically possible to begin reconstruction work for the hub adjacent to the 'Hayrenik' cinema, as simultaneous construction work would lead to city paralysis. Therefore, since the hub's construction will not take place in 2020, it has not been included in Yerevan's 2020 development plan,' the response stated.

Regarding the five-year development plan, the municipality clarified in conversation with Fip.am that only after the completion of the aforementioned two projects and obtaining final road specifications can this hub be added to the list of ongoing projects.
The municipality assured that the project would be implemented. According to the response, two possible design solutions are being considered for the construction of a new hub at the Arshakunyats-Garegin Nzhdeh intersection: a flyover and a dual-level roundabout, with plans for the project to involve investor participation.

As for the construction of the Babajanyan-Asharak and Argavand-Shirak road segments, according to Yerevan's 2020 development program, construction work on the Babajanyan-Asharak segment began in February 2018, with completion anticipated in 2020. In contrast, the construction of the Argavand-Shirak segment commenced in September this year, with a completion date projected for 2021.

Thus, council member Tehmine Vardanyan's observation that the construction of a new hub at the Arshakunyats Avenue-Garegin Nzhdeh Streets intersection is not included in Yerevan's five-year development plan corresponds to reality. However, the claim that the current city authorities have abandoned this hub's construction is incorrect. Nonetheless, verifying the accuracy of this claim will only be possible after the completion of the two road segments.