"The road construction seasons of the last two years have been the best since the restoration of independence, as a result of which many regions of Latvia have managed to improve connectivity and quality of life for the population. Next year's budget allows for continued purposeful work," said Minister of Transport Tālis Linkaits (New Conservative Party).
In total, the renovation of state roads with a total length of 870 kilometers is planned, including priority construction of state regional roads with a total length of 560 kilometers throughout Latvia. The aim of the planned works is to ensure the interconnection and cross-border connectivity of the state and county administrative centers, as well as to improve the safety of driving on high-traffic roads.
For the first time, micromobility infrastructure - for pedestrians and bicycles - has been included as a priority in the state budget. Next year, it is planned to prepare construction projects for pedestrian and bicycle roads with a total length of 25 kilometers. The construction of new pedestrian and bicycle roads will be implemented in 2023 and 2024.
53.8 million euros are planned in next year's budget for targeted grants for municipal roads. The funding is intended to enable municipalities to build, design and maintain their own streets and roads.
It is planned to spend 73.3 million euros next year on the daily maintenance of state roads, which includes clearing snow from roads, maintaining gravel verges and repairing kerbs, as well as road signs, lighting and traffic lights.
Next year, large-scale construction works of the Kekava bypass are planned, which are planned to be completed in 2023. The Kekava bypass is the country's first public-private partnership project in the road sector.
Source: Ministry of Transport