On Friday, August 2nd, Kristine Galechyan, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia, met with members of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) fact-finding mission, led by Don Lambert, Director of ADB’s permanent mission in Armenia. Representatives from the "Road Department" Fund also attended the meeting.
According to the Road Department Fund, the ADB mission aimed to discuss the details of the construction of the 27-km northern section of the Sisian-Kajaran road and to prepare the text of a loan agreement to be signed. The project will be financed jointly by ADB and the Armenian government.
The meeting summarized the work of the fact-finding mission, emphasizing the importance of the "North-South" as a major infrastructure initiative. Mechanisms for cooperation between the bank and the Armenian government, as well as the development of the capacity of the organization implementing the program, were discussed.
Particular attention was given to the safety systems of the bridges and tunnels to be built on the specified road section, including their standards and maintenance features. The necessity of employing the latest methods in these matters was noted.
Discussion participants also addressed issues related to project financing, procurement processes, environmental protection, and social impacts.
The new North-South route is the largest road construction project in Armenia's history. It will include the construction of 27 bridges and 9 tunnels. The total project cost is estimated to be around $1 billion. It is expected that the construction of other sections of this road will be financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the Armenian government.
