YEREVAN. - The concrete highway from Yerevan to Artashat is planned to be opened by the New Year. Armenia’s First Deputy Minister of Transport and Communication, Arthur Arakelyan, said the aforementioned in the parliament today.

Currently 2 lanes of the 31 km-long road have been opened, and all the 4 lanes will open on 29-30 December.

“Now we are finishing the lighting installation and laying out of roadway platform. We hope to make a pleasant surprise to our citizens by the New Year,” the Deputy Minister said.

The aforementioned $70,4 mln works were funded in the framework of the 1st tranche of the trans-Armenian North-South Road Corridor.

Parallel works are underway under the 2nd tranche in the 42 km-long Ashtarak-Talin section. The volume of works will constitute $179,6 mln.   

The total cost of the road must make up nearly $960 mln, $500 out of which is contributed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).