The reconstruction of the "Grigorovshchina" checkpoint will be completed by 2015
The reconstructed road border crossing "Grigorovshchina", located in the Verkhnedvinsk district of the Vitebsk region on the border with Latvia, will be put into operation by 2015, a correspondent of BELTA was informed by the Vitebsk customs.
"The main result of the reconstruction will be an increase in the throughput of the border crossing from 270 to 600 vehicles per day, and consequently, the border crossing time will decrease. Currently, finishing works are being completed at the facility, landscaping and commissioning of gas and electricity supply systems are underway," the customs noted.
The Comprehensive Program for the Development of Infrastructure of Road Border Crossings on the State Border of Belarus for 2011-2015 provides for the construction of an administrative building for all control services, the implementation of modern control systems, the creation of additional lanes for vehicle processing, and the construction of premises for in-depth vehicle inspection at "Grigorovshchina".
In addition, under the cross-border cooperation program of the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument "Latvia-Lithuania-Belarus", another project is nearing completion at "Grigorovshchina" - the construction of a stationary X-ray inspection and screening complex using non-intrusive inspection technology when crossing the border. "The commissioning of the entire road border crossing complex "Grigorovshchina", which will meet the strictest European standards, is planned for the current year," the customs emphasized.
As part of the international technical assistance project, 20 specialists from the Vitebsk customs took part in training courses, and 10 underwent internships at border crossings on the Latvian-Russian and Latvian-Belarusian borders, including at inspection and screening complexes.
On the Belarusian-Latvian border, in the area of operation of the Vitebsk customs, construction and installation works are also underway at the "Urbany" international road checkpoint in the Braslav district. The reconstruction process includes the commissioning of four start-up complexes.
The Vitebsk customs includes the Braslav, Verkhnedvinsk, Novopolotsk, and Orsha customs posts. This is the only customs office in Belarus whose area of operation borders three countries - Russia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Alena Tikhonova