Latvian Minister of Transport Jānis Vitenbergs and Minister of Finance Arvils Ašeradens intend to look for opportunities to use Public and Private Partnership (PPP) to implement large road infrastructure projects, as confirmed by Vitenbergs’ advisor for communication affairs Aļona Zandere.
This is why both members of the government decided to visit the construction site of Ķekava bypass on Wednesday, the 1st of March. The two will meet to «discuss PPP model and other future infrastructure projects», as mentioned in the press-release.
Ķekava bypass is the first PPP infrastructure project in Latvia. It is important to ensure connectivity between Baltic capital cities. It will also help reduce traffic on local roads and improve residents’ safety.
It is planned to open the bypass for road traffic in autumn this year.
Successful implementation of this project will mean the PPP model is a good example for future projects.
«The next project in line for PPP is Bauska bypass. This project has been discussed for decades, but there’s been no progress until now. I believe PPP has proven its worth. Now we can consider Bauska bypass for this model. People have been waiting for it for a very long time,» Vitenbergs stressed in the press-release.
Ašeradens agrees with this: «Construction of Ķekava bypass using PPP model is a good example to use a transparent process, good management and high quality standards in order to provide residents with necessary infrastructure.
Latvia has many needs that can be resolved using this model. This model can be used for construction of social infrastructure.
Wider use of PPP would promote investments and economic transformation, which is the priority of this government.»
The project of Ķekava bypass is carried out by private partner Kekava ABT JSC and subcontractors. Construction monitoring is done by Firma L4 LLC. Road maintenance will be performed by the private partner for 20 years after the end of construction.
The project is financed by the Nordic Investment Bank and European Investment Bank. The costs estimated in August 2021 were at EUR 250 132 500 without VAT.
Latvian state company Latvian State Roads reports that the section of Bauska motorway (A7) connecting Riga and Ķekava is one of the busiest roads in Latvia. Road intensity there reaches nearly 17 000 cars a day. On certain sections of the road this number reaches 25 278. Additionally, this road passes through a densely populated village in Ķekava.
The volume of freight traffic on this section is three times above the limit.
Also read: BNN INTERVIEW | Jānis Vitenbergs: a minister cannot work separately from the industry