Yerevan to Install 300 New Elevators Instead of 100 as Announced, Says Hayk Marutyan

Nearly 70% of the elevators in Yerevan have been in operation for over 40 years, while each elevator should be decommissioned after 25 years. According to a statement from the municipality, Mayor Hayk Marutyan has decided to install 300 new elevators this year, instead of the previously announced 100. The funding will be allocated from the community budget. The pilot program that started in 2019 has now become the main initiative due to its unprecedented scale.

“Throughout the entire post-Soviet period, only about 35 elevators have been replaced in Yerevan, and since Marutyan became mayor, 520 elevators have already been changed, and this process continues,” said Avet Poghosyan, head of the Central administrative district.

“A little more than a quarter of Yerevan's elevators are located in the Malatia-Sebastia district. You can understand how significant the volume is; but if we continue at this pace, I believe that in the coming years, Yerevan will have a completely different safe environment,” noted David Karapetyan, head of the Malatia-Sebastia district.

“In total, there are 596 elevators in the Nor Nork district, of which 111 have already been replaced. I understand that in the other buildings where replacements have not yet occurred, all residents wish for their elevators to be changed. I want to inform the residents that their turn will also come,” remarked Hovhannes Manukyan, head of the Nor Nork district.

Currently, there are about 3,000 elevators in the capital that are subject to replacement. Considering the scale of the program, the most worn-out ones are chosen first. “The elevators have generally exhausted their useful life throughout the city; it is natural that it is impossible to change all of them at once. Regardless of how the selection is made, no matter how much we try to take objective conditions into account, yes, there will also be residents who will feel that their elevator was more important, but I assure you, we are making an effort to primarily take into account the conclusions given by the experts,” emphasized Aram Danielyan, head of the Arabkir district.

According to the Law on the Management of Multi-Apartment Buildings, the elevator belongs to the co-ownership rights of the apartment owners, i.e. the residents. The social significance of the issue and the citizens' safety prompted the municipal authorities to initiate the implementation of this program. New elevators will also be installed in the buildings of citizens who were disabled during the war. The entrances will also be adapted for wheelchair access. As a mandatory requirement, several criteria have been set in the technical specifications for the elevator replacement program. All the newly installed elevators will be adapted for individuals with visual, hearing, and mobility impairments.