Safe Traffic: Manholes Are Being Leveled with Roads

For decades, manholes on the streets of Yerevan have become a real headache, especially for drivers. Worn-out covers and asphalt deposits seriously disrupt safe traffic. The direct responsibility for this issue lies with organizations that provide communication, sewage, or other services and manage and use the manholes. However, the community, emphasizing the safety of the city’s residents, has taken it upon itself to resolve the problem.

By the directive of the Mayor of Yerevan, a pilot program to level manholes with roads and replace covers kicked off this year. This was reported by the information department of the Yerevan Municipality.

“The issue had become a cause for much dissatisfaction in Yerevan. Correctly, the program is being implemented by the Yerevan community at the direction of the mayor, but it is not entirely within our domain because this is an issue for ‘Veolia Jur’, water supply companies, and operators who are owners of all the metal covers, manhole covers, etc.,” noted Grigor Harutyunyan, head of the construction and landscaping department of the Yerevan City Hall.

Overall, there are 16,000 manholes in Yerevan. In 2021, work will be carried out on about 1,800 of them. “The program includes the melting down of 900 metal covers, cleaning of 300 manholes, relocation of 50 stormwater catchers, repositioning of 250 old manholes, and installation of 60 new panels. We also have plans for stormwater catchers in the asphalt paving program,” Grigor Harutyunyan said.

A significant portion of the pilot program focuses on the city center, while works are also underway in other administrative districts. To implement the program, more than 68 million drams will be spent from the Yerevan community budget.