With good project preparation, even first-of-a-kind projects can be completed on time and meet their budgets. This was the case for the Kekava road bypass project. After working on the project for more than two years, Mārtiņš Lazdovskis found himself at the inauguration ceremony, smiling proudly for the camera and holding a piece of freshly cut ribbon.
“13 October 2023 is a memorable day in the life of many Latvians living in Riga and its surroundings, as a new stretch of motorway improves the region’s connectivity,” says Lazdovskis, chairman of Latvian State Roads, the government body that manages the country’s road network. The new 17-kilometre bypass, which took 820 days to complete, solves a major bottleneck in the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) that would occur when cars and other vehicles passed through Kekava. The new bypass around Kekava saves drivers 30 minutes each way. It also improves road safety and reduces noise and pollution.