Traffic opened on the southwestern bypass around Vitebsk

September 28, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. Traffic has been opened on the southwestern bypass around Vitebsk, BelTA correspondent reports. The solemn ceremony of opening traffic on the bypass road was attended today by the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Alexander Kosinets, representatives of regional authorities, the State Automobile Inspectorate, road and construction organizations involved in the project implementation. According to Alexander Kosinets, the opening of the southwestern bypass is a significant event for Vitebsk and the region. "The main result of the project will be the opportunity to relieve traffic congestion in the regional center. Now the flow of heavy vehicles traveling from the Minsk direction in transit through Vitebsk to the Polotsk direction will be diverted along the bypass highway. This will favorably affect traffic in the regional center and the environmental situation in the city," the chairman of the regional executive committee noted. In addition, diverting the flow of heavy vehicles along the bypass road will give an impetus to the development of the Vitebsk region, and the emergence of roadside service facilities along the highway. "And this issue needs to be addressed now: it is necessary to open a gas station, a hotel, a cafe, and car rental points," the governor added. Alexander Kosinets drew attention to the fact that thanks to the rationalization proposals made by the employees of OJSC "Road Construction Trust-1, Vitebsk" (DST-1) to improve design solutions, it was possible to increase the width of the asphalt concrete pavement of the road from the initially planned 8.5 m to 12 m without changing the construction cost. This made the highway safer and significantly increased its capacity. Savings of Br3.5 billion were achieved through the use of SARP structures as a temporary bridge over the Luchesa River, roadside reserves, and optimization of the soil delivery scheme. Another significant point, according to the governor, is related to the attitude of road workers to the implementation of this project: DST-1 allocated its own funds in the amount of Br15 billion for financing work on the Starinki-Novka section, which was not provided for by the state investment program for 2012. This made it possible to commission this section ahead of schedule. The Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee expressed words of gratitude for the work done to the representatives of all organizations and departments that took part in the project implementation. The construction of the bypass road began in 2009 and was associated with considerable difficulties. For example, the road surface in some places had to be laid through marshy terrain, the depth of the swamp in some places reached 9 m. More than 40 culverts were laid. Road workers had to build four overpasses and two bridges - over the Western Dvina and Luchesa rivers. Laying 12 km of pavement required more than 50 thousand tons of asphalt concrete. The road consists of two lanes in each direction and has a reinforced shoulder. Along the road there are parking lots and bus stops. The new highway corresponds to the 2nd technical category and ensures safety and comfort of movement. The total cost of the project is Br303.5 billion. The new facility has already attracted the interest of potential investors who intend to develop a roadside service network here. -0-