YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, NOYAN TAPAN. The 2009 draft state budget envisages allocating 15.97 bln drams to the ministry of transport and communication. The minister Gurgen Sargsyan said that this sum will be spent on major repairs of interstate, republican and local roads. Off-budget resources, for example, funds of the projects financed by the Millennium Challenge Fund and the Asian Development Bank, will also be used for road construction. Road sections of the total length of 250 km will be repaired in 2009 with state budgetary allocations, and repairs of another 100 km will be done with credit resources of the Asian Development Bank. According to the minister, funds of the Asian Bank and the Millennium Challenge Fund are mainly spent on reconstruction of rural roads. Under this program launched in 2008, all rural roads must be linked to the nearby highway or the respective regional center by at least one improved road. In 2009, it is planned to repair the following interstate roads: Yerevan-Meghri road, Yerevan-Gyumri-Bavra road leading to the Georgian border, and Yerevan-Vanadzor-Stepanavan-Tashir and Yerevan-Vanadzor-Bagratashen roads.

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