ARMENIA-IRAN NEW HIGHWAY TO BE PUT INTO OPERATION IN 2006

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian President Robert Kocharian has approved the project of construction of the highway connecting

Armenia and Iran roundabout the Shikahogh reserve, Minister of Transport and Communications Andranik Manukian told journalists. In his words, the length of the roundabout way will make 96 km while maximal height - 2160 meters above the sea level. When comparing the new project with the highway that is in operation now the Minister stressed that the average tilt of the new road will make 5.8% against the present 8% while the maximal tilt will make 8% against 14%. Thanks to this decrease fuel to the sum of $1.6 million will be saved annually, the Minister noted. There will be no lacets and the width of the road will be 6.6 meter. Besides if the operating road is intended for maximal load of 36 tons, the new one is meant for 80 tons. Manukian informed that the construction works have already started and the second highway (Kapan-Tsap-Shvanidzor—Shishkert-Meghri) connecting Armenia and Iran will be put into operation in 2006. The cost of the project will make 9.3 billion AMD ($21.1 million). According to the Minister, in average 743 vehicles including 276 trucks drive the Iran-Armenia route. The new highway will promote the transport flow. "We have already brought the news to the notion of the Iranian Ministry of Transport", he noted. When commenting on the fact that that the project approved by the President calls for construction of a road 7 km longer than the previous one supposed to lie through the Shikahogh reserve, Andranik Manukian noted that "a variant considering strategic, economic, technical and environmental interests was found", IA Regnum reports.