According to VNĪ, the tunnel is one of the most functional and sustainable engineering structures of this type in Latvia. The width of the nearly 30-meter tunnel is 4.6 meters and the height is 3.6 meters. The structure of the metal plates was prepared in advance and delivered by rail at the installation site.
At the same time, the construction of the pontoon road for the more operational crossing of the White Lake (Baltais ezers) is also coming to an end, and the crossing infrastructure for the Black Lake (Melnais ezers) is being developed. These sites could be put into service within the next few months, said Griškevics.
VNĪ said that some 13 of the total 85 kilometers of the fence remained to be constructed during the first phase of the construction of the Latvia–Belarus border guarding infrastructure. Approximately half of the second-round phases are under construction and are currently constructed at 2 of the total 63 kilometers.
“In the second round of work, it is planned to build the entire fence as soon as possible, with the completion of the border fence by the end of 2024,” Griškevics said.
In general, the Latvian-Belarusian state border fence is planned to be constructed at 173 km. The total cost of construction and related services and works for the first two rounds of construction of the border infrastructure is €102.7 million.
The third round provides for the construction of six communication towers with access roads, as well as a patrol path of 16.7 kilometers. The budget for connecting towers with roadways is estimated at around €3.6 million. They are intended to be covered by European Union funds.