Tiraspol, 26 February. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. The state of the country's roads is still leaving much to be desired, said the head of the road facilities department, Elvira Bekhta, at a board meeting of the Ministry of Regional Development, Transportation and Communication. She recalled the audience that the length of Pridnestrovian public motor roads was 4,083 km, of which 1,280 km accounts for republican roads and 2,803 for municipal.
According to experts' estimates, only primary works will require about 2 billion roubles to put them into a technically sound state. The maintenance of the motor road system and its infrastructure (bridges, viaducts, improvement facilities and traffic control means) will further cost half a billion roubles a year.
In reality, however, with the current unsatisfactory state of motor roads the funds allocated for their maintenance are 8 — 10 times as small as it is required.
Last year maintenance works at an amount of 98 million roubles were performed at the expanse of the motor road fund, which is 36 million roubles (27%) less than in 2014, which in turn decreased the scope of repair by a third — 65 km last year against 97 km in 2014.
«Because the annual lack of funds, interrepair terms are not observed; roads have been in service for two, three or even more interrepair terms; thorough and medium repairs of road surface and road infrastructure (including bridges and viaducts) are not properly performed; the level of motor roads' wear and deterioration is increasing," noted the minister of regional development, transportation and communications, Petr Guzhev.
As was noted at the ministry's board meeting, the motor road sector is facing three serious interconnected problems: outdated equipment (326 out of 556 items with a 100% wear rate), lack of funds and very deteriorated motor roads (about 70%).
«In order to improve the situation, it is necessary to purchase new equipment and increase the amount of the performed works, which enables them to use extra profits to buy necessary machines," said Elvira Bekhta.
She also noted that at the moment the ministry was working out a programme for the modernisation of the fleet of road building equipment and road facilities.
