Last week, Transport Minister Kaspars Briskens (P) met with Dagnis Straubergs (LRA), Chairman of Limbazi County Council, to find solutions for the bridge over the Salaca River in Salacgrīva, which is in critical condition.
Skaidrite Abrama (P), head of the Saeima’s Committee on National Economy, Agriculture, Environment and Regional Policy, and representatives of the state company Latvian State Roads (Latvijas Valsts ceļi) took part in the discussion about “a critical infrastructure object of national importance in terms of its connection to the Via Baltica and in the country’s overall security architecture,” as the minister described the bridge.
“This is a national issue that
should NOT be left to the roads of Limbazi municipality alone.
It is unacceptable for such a critical bottleneck to be a single lane. I have consulted all parties – a new bridge can be built in two years. And this is the proposal I will take to the government,” Briskens told the meeting.
The construction project for a new bridge over the Salaca River has been developed and submitted to the call for proposals for military mobility projects at the European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and Environment, which receives funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). If the project is supported, a large part of the construction costs would be covered by this funding.
At the same time, according to the transport minister,
relying solely on EU funding is not a guaranteed solution,
and other alternatives for raising funds should be considered if it is not granted.
It is envisaged that a temporary bridge will be built to ensure continuity of traffic during the construction of the new bridge. It was also discussed that the bridge over the Salaca River could remain under the responsibility of the Limbazi Municipality, but the possibility of the bridge becoming the property of the Ministry of Transport is also being considered to ensure the construction of strategic transport infrastructure. It is planned that the construction of the new bridge will be carried out by SJSC Latvian State Roads.
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