“The new road financing system has been developed following extensive engagement with municipalities and other stakeholders during meetings and public consultations, and upon taking into account their needs and the issues raised. Therefore, today, we feel that the changes ahead are welcomed and supported. We hope that the new system will be much clearer and will help to ensure transparent, better-planned and more visible solutions regarding road object financing,” said the Minister of Transport and Communications Marius Skuodis.
The Minister believes that the new road financing system will facilitate planning and improve the efficiency of the use of funds allocated for the road infrastructure, as well as help to avoid any decision politicising and increase general financing for the municipalities for local roads.
For the first time, the RMDP funds planning is to span a period of three years instead of one. This will in turn facilitate the planning of road infrastructure projects and decrease the risk of inefficient usage of the RMDP funds. This calls for setting clearly defined criteria for selecting road objects, the procedures and their implementation.
The program’s financing system is being simplified, i.e. all its funds are to be allocated according to the proportions established by the Law on the Financing of the RMDP: 67 % of the program’s funds are to be allocated for state roads, and 33 % for local roads. 9 percent of the planned local road financing will be allocated for road objects of local importance, which are significant to the State. Such objects will be selected based on clearly defined criteria.
The municipalities will be able to make more independent decisions on the use of the RMDP funds. On the other hand, they are under obligation to use such funds in accordance with a clear procedure based on transparent criteria, so that the infrastructure managers and society would be aware of the reasons and motives of investment decisions. As of the next year, all municipalities will have to approve their procedure for the allocation and use of the package of the RMDP funds, and to prepare public priority lists for a period of at least 3 years, on which the implementation of projects would be based.
At least 10 percent of the RMDP funds intended for municipality-controlled secondary roads will have to be used for financing traffic safety measures and sustainable mobility facilities of these roads.
It will be possible to finance the development, reconstruction, repair and maintenance of residential buildings yards (streets) and parking lots.
The implementation of strategic road projects is to commence in 2022. Via Baltica: land appropriation procedures regarding the section between Marijampolė and Lithuanian–Polish border will be fully completed in early 2022. Technical work projects for all 4 stages are scheduled to be completed by Q2 2022, and reconstruction works in one of these sections (from 56.83 to 72.50 km) should start around that time. In the middle of 2022 it is planned to announce public procurements for works on 72.50–79.00 km section; while public procurements for 79.00–85.00 km and 85.00–97.06 km sections are to be announced in Q3–4 of 2022.
Reconstruction works on Vilnius–Utena route are to be implemented in 5 stages. The first batch of contract works on 93.65–95.60 km section are scheduled in the end of Q3 2022. Pre-project decisions are being developed at this time. In the beginning of 2022 alternatives will be developed and technical project tenders will be announced.
A1 Vilnius–Kaunas is to become the highest standard motorway where the speed limit is to increase to 130 km/h. It is also expected to complete reconstruction of 4 bridges over the highway along Kaunas, before 2025.
Public procurement procedures have been completed and the implementation of the procedures for land appropriation for public interest with regard to the state road No 130 Kaunas–Prienai–Alytus section from 11.6 to 31.1 km are to commence soon. These procedures are scheduled to be completed by mid-2023.
