The pre-design solutions for the sections from kilometre 7.508 to kilometre 87.861 of the A8 highway (Panevėžys–Aristava–Sitkūnai) and from kilometre 9.0 to kilometre 66.098 of the A10 highway (Panevėžys–Pasvalys–Riga) were presented in Panevėžys.
According to Minister of Transport and Communications Marius Skuodis, key modernisation works on the part of the Via Baltica E-road passing through Lithuania are currently under-way in the sections near Marijampolė and the Polish border, with new sections being widened and reconstructed one after the other, so the goal is now to start work as soon as possible on another stretch of the Via Baltica – towards the Latvian border.
“The Via Baltica, which passes through Lithuania, will be an important part of the transport artery running from North to South, improving connectivity with other countries in the Baltic region and Europe. Based on the cost-benefit analysis and feasibility study findings, we are planning for this road to be 2+2 lanes to the Latvian border. Accordingly, we will already be starting all of the procedures required for the implementation of the project – we will go to the Government to initiate the preparation of special plans and the beginning of the land acquisition,” says Minister Skuodis.
One of the main tasks in the preparation of pre-design solutions for the Via Baltica section from Kaunas to the Latvian border is to select the best alternative for the long-term development of the national A8 and A10 highways of national significance in order to improve driving conditions, reduce the number of road accidents, ensure a better and safer connection with the areas bordering the Via Baltica by roads of local significance, and make sure that the infrastructure meets the needs of military mobility.
“The initial design solutions presented today are the beginning of another stage of reconstruction of the Via Baltica highway. Reconstruction of the A8 and A10 sections, with a total length of 137.5 km, is planned to be completed by 2030. We hope that all of the procedures – the territorial planning documents, land acquisition for public purposes, environmental impact assessment, design, contracting, public procurement – will be completed successfully, and that we will be able to take the Via Baltica safely and comfortably from Poland to the border of Latvia, i.e. across the entire territory of Lithuania, in seven years,” says Lithuanian Road Administration CEO Marius Švaikauskas.
In the near future, the Ministry of Transport and Communications will submit the draft resolution necessary to start the preparation of special plans for these highways to the Government; once it is approved, the process of preparing territorial planning documents will begin. During the preparation of the special territorial planning document, the boundaries of the land required for the implementation of the project solutions will be determined, which will later be purchased on behalf of the state. At the end of the land acquisition procedures, a tender will be announced for the preparation of technical work projects, and once the building permit is received, construction work will also begin.
In the Strategic Guidelines for National Road Maintenance and Development for 2022–2035, the reconstruction of sections of the Via Baltica highway is planned to be completed by the end of 2030.
European route E 67 is an E-road running from Prague in the Czech Republic towards Helsinki in Finland, through Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The road connects Prague, Wrocław, Warsaw, Kaunas, Panevėžys, Riga, Tallinn and Helsinki. The stretch from Warsaw to Tallinn (with a distance of 970 km) is a very significant road connection for the Baltic States.
The length of Via Baltica in the territory of Lithuania is 269 km, stretching along roads or their stretches: A5 Kaunas-Marijampolė-Suwałki, A1 Vilnius–Kaunas–Klaipėda, A8 Panevėžys–Aristava–Sitkūnai, A17 Panevėžys bypass and A10 Panevėžys–Pasvalys–Riga. It is one of the most congested stretches in Lithuania, with heavy local and international freight traffic.
