Lietuviškai
“Kelprojektas” will ensure that vacationers reach Palanga safely
2014-06-12
The company “Kelprojektas” are set to prepare the project for the reconstruction of the 12km-19km section of the road from Klaipėda to Palanga. The largest transport infrastructure engineering company in Lithuania won the bid and signed a contract worth LTL 4.32 million with the Lithuanian Road Administration to engineer the reconstruction of the road. It is expected that the project will be prepared by the beginning of 2017.
“The highway is used by holidaymakers travelling to Palanga and Šventoji in the summer. This section is a remnant of the untouched old road in the Klaipėda-Liepoja route. The road surface is worn-out and uneven, the road itself is accident-prone and contains a so-called “black spot”. Our goal is to ensure that holidaymakers are able to reach resorts safely and easily,” said Petras Kaučikas, Director of “Klaipėdos regiono keliai” VĮ.
At the moment, only the left carriageway of that particular road section had been rebuilt, with the right side still being narrow and bumpy. The stretch is part of the A13 Klaipėda – Liepoja highway. On average, 10 thousand cars and 800 trucks use the road each day, it being exceptionally busy during the summer – however, tragic accidents can happen because it doesn’t meet safety requirements. In the last four years, one person died and 19 people were injured in the section targeted for reconstruction.
“Highway maintenance, renovation and safety are some of the main priorities for the state. Our knowledge and experience allows us to thoroughly assess the conditions of the road and offer the most optimal solutions, designed to ensure greatest possible traffic safety,” said Algimantas Medžiaušis, CEO of Kelprojektas.
In addition to light and commercial vehicles, the road section targeted for reconstruction is also used by public transport as well as pedestrians walking to get to a bus station.
According to Inesa Čiubarova, head of the Klaipėda division of Kelprojektas in charge of this project, the side roads, crossroads and turnabouts (permitting u-turns) meet neither current traffic safety requirements nor Category I Highway requirements. In addition, the intersections with national roads of regional significance also do not satisfy safety and capacity requirements.