During 6 months investments into road construction totaled 7.3 billion AZN

By July 1, 2013 total volume of cargo transportation in Azerbaijan totaled 688 million tons, up 5.1% against the same period last year , and passenger carriages totaled 7.1 billion people, up 7.1%. During 6 months, 2013 total volume  of investments into the road construction reached 7.3 billion AZN, up 10 times against five previous years. This information was announced by Transport Minister Ziya Mammadov at the session of the Cabinet of Ministers devoted to the socio-economic development of the country during 6 months, 2013  on July 18, 2013.

He said 82 km of local railways were renovated, 340 new buses were brought into the country and put into operation and construction of bus terminals in Ganja, Goradiz and Dashkesan continues. Mammadov forgot to explain why the buses purchased at the expense of the budget were distributed among private carriers.

During 6 months, 2013 430 local and republican roads were repaired and 6 bridges were built and repaired. The roads Yenikend-Salyan-Shorsulu, Muganly-Yevlakh, Yevlakh-Ganja, Kyurdamir-Yevlakh, Hajigabul-Kyurdamir and Tagiyev-Sahil have been built at the expense of credits of the international financial institutions. The works to increase the Baku-Shamakha road to four lanes continue. Part of the road to Mardakan district of the Buzovna-Gala highway was put into operation. Construction of the Bilga-Pirshaga-Novkhany-Sumgait highway has started. The Ziya Buniadov and Heydar Aliyev avenues, Gelebe square, Zabrat-Buzovna and Zabrat-Pirshaga roads are under repair. Because of a difficult landscape, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will be put into operation in 2014 against early 2011 as it was planned earlier. Construction of the international trade seaport in Alat district continues. The first ferry terminal with the required infrastructure is planned to be put into operation in 2014 and the dry cargo terminal will be launched in 2015. 16 Boeing, Airbus and Embraer passenger planes and 3 various models of helicopters were purchased for Azal closed-type joint stock company (JSC) from the budgetary funds. The centralized traffic light management system has allowed increasing average  speed of cars in the capital from 35 to 48 km per hour and carrying capacity of each kilometer of the road increased from 20,200 to 27,700 cars a day.—0--