Armenian economist forecasts quality difference between toll and government-built roads

The quality of toll roads and government-maintained roads may be different as the private sector will focus on high-quality road construction, economist Vilen Khachatryan told Tert.am as he spoke of a possible toll on some sections of the North-South highway.

Talking to reporters on Monday, Armenia’s Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies Vahan Martirosyan did not rule out attraction of private investments to the project, which implies a toll on some sections of the highway. Discussions are under way, and the project mainly involves bypass roads, bridges and tunnels.

Toll roads are international practice.

“Such construction requires huge investments and such highways are intended for people lacking time. They can use shorter bypass roads. The point is where such alternative roads will run, and a competition problem arises. The private sector is expected to use more comfortable areas, whereas the government-built roads could be longer and less convenient,” Mr Khachatryan said.

The private sector may prevent proper maintenance of government-run roads, as the government often serves the private sector’s interests in Armenia.

“That is, cooperation between the government and the private sector is not properly based. It would be better if the government and the private sector assumed specific functions each,” Mr Khachatryan said.