/AzerNews/

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Azerbaijan's Transport Ministry will complete the building and reconstruction of all motor ways of international significance in 2017, Transport Minister Ziya Mammadov said during a conference named "Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway - New Possibilities of the Development of the Silk Way Corridor" held in Baku, on October 16.

"The projects will facilitate road transports of national and international significance and will create conditions for providing traffic security across the country," the minister noted.

Development of road infrastructure is among the main priorities of Azerbaijani government. Large investments are regularly made for the improvement of highways in the country. The volume of the constructive and repair works is increasing year by year in the country. As a result, the total length of the roads in common usage increased from 18,754 kilometers to 19,000 kilometers between the years of 2003 and 2013.

About 8332 kilometers of highways was built and reconstructed, some 222 new bridges and road conjunctions were built in Azerbaijan over the last ten years.

Mammadov said the transport sector in Azerbaijan attracted 20 percent of the total funds invested in the country's economy.

The Silk Road Corridor bears a great importance for Azerbaijan along with many other countries. The construction and repair work is currently being held on the internationally significant highway's 513 kilometers part, which runs through Azerbaijan.

Almost 313 kilometers of the road has been constructed and commissioned so far. Intensive work on the Baku-Guba-Russia motor road, which is part of the North-South transport corridor, has resulted in the reconstruction of its 134 kilometers part. Another strategically significant Alat-Astara-Iran highway's 42 kilometers part was repaired and put into operation later.

Azerbaijani government plans to invest almost $2,24 billion in the transport sector in 2015 under the state investment program. External loans will constitute about $1,1 billion of the total fund, while $142 million will be allocated from the State Oil Fund and the rest from the state budget. Transport investments will consist about 26,57 percent of the state investment program's total budget.

The roads in the capital city Baku underwent a massive building and reconstruction work between the years of 2008 and 2013. Over 60 road conjunctions and 10 new underground passages, as well as nearly 60 underground and overhead pedestrian crossings were built in Baku. Totally 703,3 kilometers of the roads and highways were reconstructed and repaired in the capital city over the last 5 years.

The international financial organizations including Asian Development Bank and World Bank regularly finance the road building projects in Azerbaijan. The Asian Development Bank has recently announced plans to allocate $350 million for the development of transport infrastructure in the country. The funding is envisaged under the bank's new strategy of cooperation with Azerbaijan for 2014-2018.

Azerbaijan is a major economic hub in the region. Since the roads are viewed as the blood vessels of the economy, the government aims to improve the road infrastructure in the country in order to meet the international standards.

Azerbaijan's president personally supervises the road building and reconstruction activities in the country. Latest achievements in this field proves Azerbaijan's goal-oriented domestic policy and significant role in the regional and international processes.