Press releases

MINSK, 13 February (BelTA) - Belarus will expand the network of toll roads to 2,000km by 2020, Yevgeny Rokalo, the head of the roads department at the Belarusian Ministry of Transport and Communications, told reporters on 13 February, BelTA has learned.

The network of toll roads under the BelToll system will grow larger by more than 300km in 2015. There are plans to install the electronic system on the section of the M5 motorway Zhlobin-Gomel, which opened after the reconstruction, the four-lane sections of the P23 highway Minsk-Mikashevichi and the P21 highway Vitebsk-the border of Russia. At present the length of toll roads in Belarus is 1,189km.

In 2015-2019 it is planned to renovate and build about 1,158km of roads, more than 2,210 running meters of bridges and crossovers. By 2020 Belarusian specialists plan to finish capital repairs of 1,600km and minor repairs of 7,200km of national roads.

According to Yevgeny Rokalo, in 2015 it is planned to upgrade and build 90km of highways, conduct minor repairs of 783km of roads and 1,683 running meters of bridges. In 2015 Belarusian builders will continue the reconstruction of the Bobruisk-Zhlobin section of the M5 motorway Minsk-Gomel. It is expected that the highway will satisfy the first category parameters in 2016.

The reconstruction of the Minsk-Grodno highway will begin this year. The World Bank is ready to provide a $250 million loan for the reconstruction project. In 2015 it is also planned to work out a general scheme for the development of roadside service which designed to run till 2020.

Thus, by 2020 the network of renovated and new national motorways will be increased by 4,972km and will make up 60% of the total length of roads in comparison with 2014. The length of low-quality roads will be reduced by 2,657km and will make up 11% of the total.

The speed limit will be increased at 520km of motorways.