Post Conflict Transport Study -- Roads

Summary

When "The Great Peace" occurs, two things will happen, which affects the need for roads and roadwork:

Resettling is not a major problem in Armenia, where the number of refugees is small, and where the refugees are said to have settled elsewhere in Armenia or abroad and have no intentions to move back to their previous locations. The situation is worse in Azerbaijan, where there is a large number of refugees, to a great extent living in temporary and primitive camps. The so-called "Occupied Area" comprises 13 thousand square kilometres, with a road network of 4500 kms. ARRA has estimated that this entire network has to be rehabilitated and some 110 bridges have to be renovated. The total cost is estimated at 200 MUSD exclusive of the cost for the bridges. Our estimate of the costs for urgent repairs to facilitate resettlement is 95 MUSD. The needs in a second phase, some years after resettlement has started, are estimated at some 185 MUSD. Annual maintenance costs for the roads concerned in Azerbaijan are estimated at 2.7 MUSD/year.

The needs for urgent road repairs in the conflict zone in the northeast of Armenia are estimated at 3 MUSD.

For the international traffic there are some potentially important links, for which required detailed planning should start. Roughly estimated costs to open the links is shown in parenthesis. Total costs are estimated at 10 -15 MUSD.

1. Sevan - Dilian - Gazakh connecting Armenia and Azerbaijan and forming a link in an important international network. (4 MUSD)
2. Gyumri - Turkey border will become a part in the same link and opening up a direct link between Armenia and Turkey. (Urgent repairs: 1 MUSD)
3. Construction of the missing link of the road along the Iran border connecting Azerbaijan with Nakhichevan. (8 MUSD)

Agdam - Stepanakert - Goris - Nakhichevan could also be a link worthwhile to study.

Generally, it is recommended that road maintenance should be given first priority, which pays back immediately in lower traffic costs,

Construction of new roads should be proved economically feasible and implemented according to good international standard and procedures. International support, money and expertise, is needed to solve the acute situation in the conflict zone in Azerbaijan. The expertise should involve coordination of the restoration, planning, implementation, audit and follow up.

The heritage from the FSU still affects the public sector management, quality of work and supply and handling of plant and equipment and needs support to remedy.

The situation is an excellent opportunity to make environmental ambitions real.

Armenia and Azerbaijan Post Conflict Transport Study ( Draft Final Report )

Armenia and Azerbaijan Post Conflict Transport Study ( Appendices )