By Alexey Dolgopolov
Since February 1st, Belavtodor department at the Transport Ministry of Belarus has received a flurry of calls on its new ‘125’ phone number, reporting problems with roads. Although, no daily statistics are kept, the traffic control service received about 150 calls in a single day early on, mostly from the capital region.
There should soon be fewer calls and complaints, as major works are carried out nationwide on the main highways. Among the first being tackled is the road between Minsk and Gomel. “Work on this highway is being done in three stages,” notes Yevgeny Rokalo, who heads the administration of Belavtodor Road Network Maintenance Department.
This year, the road from Pukhovichi to Bobruisk is to be revamped, followed by the Bobruisk-Zhlobin route. The segment from Gomel to Zhlobin is to be ready by 2014. This year, road builders also promise to complete work on parts of the Minsk-Mogilev route and will reconstruct the M5 highway (Minsk-Gomel). Meanwhile, the 1st category routes of Minsk-Grodno and Minsk-Vitebsk are to be upgraded, alongside the Minsk-Mikashevichi highway, which will join the 1st category.
This year, five capital streets will be significantly extended: Dzerzhinsky Avenue, alongside Kabushkin, Tashkentskaya and Mogilevskaya streets and Dolginovsky tract. Each will receive eight lanes. Additionally, this year, another 10 pedestrian underpasses are to appear in Minsk.
