Riga City Council’s Transport Department has signed a contract worth EUR 42.5 million with an association of suppliers OTC for the construction of a new bypass in Sarkandaugava, the department reports.
The contract provides for the first stage of construction of the transport bypass over railway like Riga-Skulte. According to information available on the website of the Procurement Monitoring Bureau (IUB), OTC is composed of three construction companies – LLC Binders, AS LNK Industries, and AS Latvijas tilti.
The amount detailed in the contract without VAT is EUR 31.11 million. EUR 27 million of construction costs is planned to be taken from co-financing provided by the EU Cohesion Fund, 1 million euros will come from the state budget and the rest – from the municipality’s finances.
According to department representative Ilze Dimante, with the beginning of the construction season, which is expected to commence in April, work will commence to construct a two-level junction between Viesturs prospect and Tvaika Street.
The construction project provides for a transport solution for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, as well as establishing junctions and entryways.
It is planned that the construction of the bypass will help resolve traffic congestion at the railway entryway on Tilta Street, relieve traffic on Sarkandaugava and thereby significantly raise traffic security, the municipality notes.
“The goal behind Skulte bypass is tidying up the network of streets in this area, which receives the main portion of transit flow from Brivibas street to Viesturs prospect and Riga port,” says Dimante.
The bypass is planned to have been finished by the end of 2023.
The procurement for the project was announced in February 2019. However, it was appealed twice. The first time the complaint was submitted by AS BMGS, but no decision was made because the company decided later to withdraw the complaint.
The second time the procurement was appealed by suppliers association A.C.B., BMGS and Tilts, but IUB decided in favor of the municipality and so the complaint was withdrawn, permitting the signing of the contract with OTC. (BNN/Business World Magazine)
