“Via Baltica is strategically important for Lithuanian and international transport – it is one of the most intensively used transit segments in the country, where many tragic road accidents occur. Further reconstruction of the section from Marijampolė to the border of Poland will soon advance, as we have allocated funding, a clear working plan and established work stages. We will make every effort to be able to use a road that complies with international standards of infrastructure safety and traffic organisation as soon as possible,” said Minister Skuodis.
The reconstruction works of the Via Baltica section from Marijampolė to the Lithuania–Poland border (from 56.83 to 97.06 km) will begin in 2022 – a strategic environmental assessment has already been carried out, and a special reconstruction plan for this section has also been approved, which provides for the road to be widened to have 4 lanes. Land acquisition procedures and planning works are currently in progress.
The section, with the total length of 40.23 km, will be reconstructed in accordance with the requirements for motorways. The speed limit will be 130 km/h.
During the reconstruction, safe two-level interchanges and roundabouts (at junction roads), junction roads parallel to the main road and a new parking area for heavy vehicles will be constructed. It is also planned to widen the existing bridges over rivers or construct new ones and to build soundproof panels.
According to the Minister, it was previously planned to reconstruct this section by 2026, but after revision, the works are being accelerated and brought forward – the works in this 40-kilometre section should be completed by the end of 2024. Once this stage is completed, it will be possible to safely drive at 130 km/h on one of the most intensively used highways in the country from Kaunas through Marijampolė to the border of Poland. The first section from Kaunas to Marijampolė was reconstructed at the end of 2018.
The total length of Via Baltica in Lithuania is 268 km. It comprises five highways: A5 Kaunas–Marijampolė–Suvalkai, A1 Vilnius–Kaunas–Klaipėda (only a part), A8 Panevėžys–Aristava–Sitkūnai, A17 Panevėžys ring road and A10 Panevėžys–Pasvalys–Ryga. By 2030, the whole Via Baltica section in Lithuania will be reconstructed to comply with the requirements of traffic organisation and safety that apply to the main TEN-T.
