No Road Repaired Twice Since 2018, Says Pashinyan During Visit to Ministry of Territorial Administration

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, where reports on the activities of the "Road Department" and Territorial Development Funds for 2023 were discussed.

First, the executive director of the "Road Department" Gor Avetisyan and his deputies reported on the work done during the reporting period and the ongoing programs under the organization’s responsibility. They presented the road network improvement projects funded by the state budget and their progress. According to those responsible, extensive works have been carried out on the reconstruction of state significance roads. From 2018 to 2023, a total of 1302.4 kilometers of road sections have been reconstructed, improved, and constructed, for which 182.8 billion AMD was allocated. In 2023, the reconstruction, construction, and improvement works were carried out over a total length of 356 kilometers of road sections.

As part of the rehabilitation program, 9,739 road signs and nearly 173,000 linear meters of metal barriers were also installed. State budget funds were also used for medium repairs of state significance roads. Thus, between 2018 and 2023, medium repairs were conducted on road sections totaling 663 kilometers, for which 33 billion AMD was allocated from the state budget. In 2023, approximately 150 kilometers of road sections underwent medium repairs, costing 6.5 billion AMD.

The Prime Minister inquired how it is determined which road needs to be repaired in a given year. Gor Avetisyan noted that technical means equipped vehicles, as well as online systems, are used to gather data from which decisions are made. "This system even calculates the type of work needed—whether to reconstruct, repair medium, or make repairs. We gather information every year about the state of the roads, including unevenness, cracking, potholes, and so on. We input everything into a system that indicates what action needs to be taken for that year," said the head of the department.

In response, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of this approach: "So, everything is based on electronic data. Very good. Here, too, we need to have a standard." Gor Avetisyan reported that no road that had been repaired since 2018 has been repaired twice up until now.

"We have roads where the traffic load has increased significantly. We need standards; both the public and the government should know how long a road should serve us. It is true that we usually think about the length of time, but the term is not an objective indicator, because during that same period, how many heavy vehicles have passed over that road. Let’s imagine a situation where we have implemented that system, established the standard, and said that we have commissioned this road; thus, the next repair time should come when, for example, 1,000, 10,000, or 20,000 trailers have passed over that road and, let’s say, more than 50,000 lower cars. This will help a lot because we are investing these huge amounts, and it is also a great responsibility. It’s good that we are building, but at some point, if you see unevenness, you might think, are we doing something wrong, and this is not what we should be doing. Therefore, I consider this important; it is a priority matter; let’s establish that standard," emphasized Nikol Pashinyan.