Ukraine needs at least UAH 300 billion for the repair of 24,000 km of major highways, according to Acting Head of Ukraine’s State Agency of Automobile Roads (Ukravtodor) Slawomir Nowak.
In an interview with DW, he recalled that the World Bank Annual Report 2017 stated that Ukraine needed UAH 150 billion to repair 24,000 km of roads. However, these calculations were based on prices four years ago.
“They calculated the cost in prices of 2015. I want to note that now this is not UAH 150 billion. There will be much more. We are calculating the cost. In Ukraine, there is no domestic production of bitumen. Contractors import 80% of all bitumen from Poland, Belarus, Turkey, and other countries. In recent years, bitumen prices have increased by 70%,” he said.
Nowak says that Ukravtodor, together with the team of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, is preparing a road repair program for 2020-2025.
He added that “24,000 km of roads in five years is possible, but it will cost about UAH 300-350 billion.” (Ukrinform/Business World Magazine)