Implementation of direct award project LLI-280 “Improvement of cross border road infrastructure for well-connected regional centers and facilitated labor mobility in the border areas” (EASYCROSSING) has started on the very first days of the new year of 2018. This project will improve three cross border road sections total length of which is 46 km.

Parts of the following road sections are to be reconstructed: Bauska-Bērzi-Lithuania border (7,2 km) and Žeimelis-Vileišiai-Latvia border (5.1 km), Jēkabpils-Nereta-Lithuania border, Nereta-Sleķi (5,61 km) and Pandelys-Suvainiškis-Latvia border (5 km) and Grobiņa-Embūte-Ezere-Lithuanian border (14 km) and Mažeikiai-Latvia border (9,2 km).

It is planned, that technical designing and procurement of the construction works will be done during the first months of this year. While actual construction works will start this spring and bulk of them will be finished by the end of the year with remaining 2 km section to be completed by June 2019.

The contract between Programme’s Managing Authority and the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Latvia (lead partner) was signed at the end of 2017. Total project budget is 10,58 million EUR. Approved ERDF co-financing is almost 9 million EUR. Planned works will be implemented by the State Joint Stock Company “Latvian State Roads” in cooperation with Lithuanian Road Administration under the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania.

The project aims to connect regional towns and to facilitate the labour mobility in the cross border region. Improvement of cross border road infrastructure in the Programme area is defined as the project of strategic relevance and importance for both Member States and the Programme, and it will contribute to the socioeconomic development of the whole Programme area. For more information please visit https://2014-2020.latlit.eu/calls-for-proposals/direct-award/