Residents should keep in mind that this year Riga will be very dug up this year, said Mayor of Riga Mārtiņš Staķis in an interview to TV3 programme 900 seconds.
As for Riga’s budget priorities for the year,
Staķis mentioned the biggest portion of the budget will go towards education, which has a special budget programme for school improvement and repairs.
Because the transition to education only in Latvian language has started and a new competence-based approach for various subjects has been adopted, there are also plans for support for teachers.
The second biggest expenditures position is related to the city’s traffic infrastructure. This year’s funding amount to be provided to municipal public transport company Rīgas satiksme is historically the largest one. There are also plans for historically the largest road maintenance and improvement programme.
Staķis stressed the surface of roads needs to be replaces once every ten years. If it is not done, the road becomes damaged. «We want to do it in a way to make sure the snow does not melt together with the road this spring,» said the politician. Replacement of the road surface is planned to be done as part of major road infrastructure projects, including Rail Baltica and reconstruction of Mūkusala embankment.
«Riga will be very dug up this year. We will have to deal with that,» warns Staķis.
The social sector is planned to receive large amounts of funding. The mayor adds there are many new clients there because of the existing situation.
There are currently 27 projects finances by Riga City Infrastructure Fund worth a total of EUR 8.8 million, according to last year’s report on the fund’s financed projects.
Three of the oldest projects received funding in 2014. Mūkusala Street’s embankment promenade restoration project received funding of EUR 220 545 in 2014. This funding has already been used. In 2018 the project received another EUR 170 409.
Two of the projects in the process of implementation have received funding that exceeds EUR 1 million.
Rail Baltica Riga Central Station infrastructure reconstruction project was initially provided with funding of EUR 1 million and was later given an additional EUR 300 000.
Also read: Latvian government provides funding towards Bolderaja «battery trains» procurement