Azerbaijan, Baku, March 12 / Trend E.Ismayilov /
The Azerbaijani Transport Ministry expects the Guba-Shamakhi Highway project to be included in a list of priorities, the ministry's Transport Policy and Economy Department head Sadraddin Mammadov said.
"We have appealed to the government to assess the project as a priority," he said. "The Korean Pyunghwa Engineering Consultants completed a project to build the road."
According to Mammadov, the most successful way of financing the project follows the following principle - the party that will build the road will invest, design and operate the project. After its completion, the company will recover all costs and receive a share of the profits, and the road will be transferred to Azerbaijan.
This, in turn, implies that the use of the road will be paid. The funds received from exploiting the road will go toward paying off the cost of its construction.
According to Mammadov, the project is beneficial in terms of developing tourism, and for the region as a whole.
The length of the road will hit 105.4 kilometers. It will reduce the road trip between Shamakhi and Guba by over than 150 kilometers. About 24 bridges with a total length of 3.7 kilometers are planned for construction within the project. Three tunnels with a total length of 3.6 kilometers are also planned for construction.
The road will stretch through mountain and forest plots and connect Guba with Shamakhi. It will also provide an impetus for regional development and create terms for tourist opportunity development.
Earlier, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev approved a memorandum of understanding signed between the Azerbaijani Transport Ministry and Korean Pyunghwa Engineering Consultants May 19, 2008 to develop roads in Azerbaijan. The memorandum envisages preparing a feasibility study and working construction project for the Guba-Shamakhi Highway.