In 2023, the Ministry of Transport (MoT) plans to divert € 341.9 million or 46% of the its total available funding into the road infrastructure sector – road construction and maintenance. This year it is planned to construct state roads of a total length of 632 km, as a priority ensuring the improvement of regional and local road infrastructure, which will contribute to the mobility of residents in regions.
"Funding for the improvement of roads has been insufficient for a long time and the funds planned for this year's budget will not solve all the problems either. At the same time, we have to provide the residents with high-quality roads that connect the parishes with the regional centres. Regional and local roads are my priority and their improvement will be done gradually. For this purpose the budget has allocated an additional €11.5 million this year. Next year it is planned to invest another €15 million and €17 million in 2025," comments Minister of Transport Jānis Vitenbergs.
In total it is planned to invest €193.1 million in 632 km of roads in Latvia. The lion’s share of this amount (€131.5 million) is funding from the state budget, while €61.6 million is funding provided by the European Union funds. In the road sector this year, the greatest emphasis will be placed on the construction of regional and local roads to improve the connectivity of parishes with municipal centres.
This year the work is planned for 379 km of regional roads, with a total investment of €76.5 million, including €30.7 million from the Recovery Fund. €40.9 million will be invested into construction of local roads, including €9.6 million from the Recovery and Resilience Facility. In turn, €75.7 million is earmarked for the construction of 111 km of major roads, including €21.3 million from the EU Cohesion Fund.
In the construction of bridges and overpasses, works are planned to be carried out in 19 sites with a total investment of €11.5 million. In this area too, greater emphasis will be placed on the improvement of regional and local roads. Construction work in the amount of €3.46 million is planned in six construction sites on regional roads, while €6.92 million are planned for work in 11 construction sites on local roads. This year there are plans for significant improvements of the bridges over the Gauja river - three existing bridges will be rebuilt and the construction of a new bridge will be completed instead of the old metal bridge on the local road V330 Dukuri-Rāmnieki.
To promote safe micro-mobility the Ministry of Transport has plans to spend €4.7 million on construction of pedestrian roads and roads for cyclists. This year construction work will be commenced to create a cycling lane along A11 road between Liepaja and Bernati, pedestrian/cycling roads will be built along P93 road between Āne and Tetele villages up to Jelgava. Pedestrian and cycling lanes are also planned to be established on P14 road between Cesis and crossing of Līvi village, along road P103in Eleja and P76 on the road from Salas to Jēkabpils. It is also planned to implement a number of construction projects on state roads to improve road safety, including on the main road A6 Riga – Daugavpils – Kraslava – Belarus border (Pāternieki), regional road P37 Pļaviņas (Gostiņi) – Madona – Gulbene and local road hub V772 Apšusala – Vilkukrogs.
In the second half of 2023, it is planned to complete and commission the first public and private partnership project – Ķekava bypass. This will help drivers save time on the road and improve road traffic safety, whereas in the other sections of the A7 road, in order to significantly reduce the impact of freight transport on the urban environment in Bauska and Iecava, it is planned to start the design of bypass routes of Bauska and Iecava.
The budget also includes funding for 139 recharging stations that will help improve mobility and provide the option to recharge electric vehicles in all of Latvia.
The budget of the MoT for 2023 foresees a total of €740.3 million for the development of transport and communications sectors, incl. €308 million of EU funds. The MoT priorities for this year remain unchanged - funding is planned for improving the state's road infrastructure, ensuring the mobility needs of residents and implementation of the Rail Baltica project.
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