Surena Papikyan Monitors Road Construction Works in Regions

On May 3, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia, Suren Papikyan, monitored the progress of various road construction works in the Kotayk, Lori, and Tavush regions, accompanied by Deputy Minister Kristine Galachyan and regional governors.

During his visit to the section of the M3 interstate highway passing through Spitak, the minister expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of construction, referring to shortcomings in the work conducted in this section last year. He emphasized that the requirements and approaches have changed, stating, "You have all the opportunities to work and succeed. But quality and responsibility are extremely important. You cannot continue with outdated approaches and old equipment and expect quality results." He sternly instructed the responsible parties in the sector to closely monitor the pace and quality of construction on a daily basis and report on the progress.

Minister Papikyan then visited the M6 Vanadzor-Alaverdi interstate road leading to the Armenian-Georgian border. Representatives of the contracting organization, Horizon-95 LLC, provided insights into the ongoing construction works at Lot 1, particularly highlighting the blasting of rock and widening of the road, which is scheduled to take place on May 5, according to the contractor.

At the construction site in Alaverdi city for Lot 2, the minister observed the asphalt-laying works that have already commenced. He inquired about the multilayer leveling of the asphalt and the drainage system installed along the road section from representatives of the contracting organization, AAB Project LLC. Suren Papikyan reviewed the capabilities of the equipment used by the construction organization, which helps ensure the quality of the works.

The minister expressed satisfaction with the pace of construction in this road section while urging the timely resolution of technical issues that have arisen, in order to avoid further complications.

During a discussion with Georgios Paraskevopoulos, head of the team from the company Safage SAS and Hill International, responsible for the technical supervision of the construction of the specified three lots concerning the Haparat-Bagratashen border checkpoint road section, the minister inquired about the challenges faced during the design and actual construction phases. In response to the questions raised, Kristine Galachyan, the deputy minister coordinating the road construction sector, noted that specific deadlines and directives for resolving these issues would be provided following discussions with all interested parties in the near future.

During the tour, the minister also visited the Tavush region, specifically monitoring the renovation and land leveling works on a 4 km long road section in the border community of Berqaber and the republican significance road leading to the Makara Vank monastery complex. These roads will be asphalted for the first time and are expected to be put into operation in August-September.