Maintenance Work on Interstate and National Significance Roads

Maintenance work is being carried out on around 3,700 km of interstate and national significance roads in Armenia, including summer and winter upkeep. Summer maintenance is conducted from April 1 to November 16 by 34 contracting organizations.

Specifically, to ensure continuous and safe traffic flow, maintenance includes managing the roadway surface, transportation hubs, artificial structures, furnishings, and engineering constructions. Small repairs to road damages, as well as the prevention of damages to road equipment and other elements, are also included.

The lead specialist of the Road Department’s monitoring of road maintenance and operation, Gagik Shahazizyan, lists the ongoing tasks, noting the importance of ensuring that metal guardrails are not rusted, reflective road markers are in place, and road signs remain visible and clear. They also ensure that garbage is collected in a timely manner from the road, grass along the edges or medians is cleared, and bushes are trimmed. Such activities hold significant importance within the framework of summer road service.

The “Tsovagugh Road Maintenance” LLC manages approximately 160 km of road and has been conducting maintenance in that area since 2016. Comparing the current year’s work to previous years, the director of the company, Norik Simonian, points out that the intensity of traffic, road congestion, and vehicle speed is increasing yearly, making their work more challenging. Road signs and signal posts are frequently damaged.

Especially highlighted by the road maintenance workers is the issue of litter. They collect garbage, but after just one hour, large amounts of trash are often dumped back at the sides of the road by individuals. Representatives from the road maintenance companies also emphasize the importance of raising awareness among drivers and citizens about the necessity to keep the environment clean.

They also observe that sometimes citizens intentionally damage roads or set up artificial obstacles wherever they wish, which is unacceptable.