A new stage of reconstruction has been completed on the A14 Vilnius–Utena road – the highway has been widened from 4 to 16 lanes in a 2 km long section (from the 4th km), and engineering traffic safety measures have been installed. The completed works were inspected today by Minister of Transport Jaroslavas Narkevičius.
"The reconstruction of the Vilnius-Utena highway is extremely important due to the worn-out cement concrete surface, which poses a danger to traffic safety. The works being carried out fundamentally change this situation - the road becomes twice as wide, many traffic safety measures have been implemented, and the safety of pedestrians and cyclists has been taken care of," says Minister of Transport J. Narkevičius.
The reconstruction works extended the road widening works that had already taken place on this highway. The new widened section of the road is from the junction with road no. 172 Raudondvaris–Giedraičiai–Moletai to the intersection with road no. 108 Vievis–Maišiagala–Nemenčinė (from 16,00 km to 16,80 km and from 17,64 km to 20,90 km).
During the reconstruction of this section, the road was strengthened and widened from 2 to 4 traffic lanes, the old low-quality cement concrete surface was replaced by an asphalt road surface. In order to improve traffic safety, left turns and U-turns on the road have been eliminated, connecting roads have been built. For the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, a pedestrian overpass was built, an underground pedestrian crossing was installed, and a 4,4 km long pedestrian and bicycle path was built next to the road. In addition, the renovated section is equipped with road lighting, protective barriers, a noise-absorbing wall, and mesh fences against wild animals.
The pedestrian overpass was built on the road to Raudondvaris, at the intersection to the nearby cafes (16,49 km), and it is planned to install bus stops on both sides of the road. An underground pedestrian crossing is located at km 18,56 of the highway, where there are bus stops on the roads to the villages of Gegliškii and Pašilii.
In September of this year the next stage of the reconstruction of the A14 Vilnius–Utena road was started, which will take place in sections from 16,80 km to 17,64 km and from 20,84 km to 21,50 km. At this stage, at roads no. 172 Raudondvaris–Giedraičiai–Moletai and no. 108 Vievis–Maišiagala–Nemenčinė will be equipped with roundabouts, connecting roads and acceleration and deceleration lanes from the A14 road will connect to them.
Further work on this road will also take place in stages. Depending on the existing funding, the reconstruction of the entire road could be completed by 2030. The works are financed from the funds of the Road Maintenance and Development Program.
After meeting with the representatives of the contractors reconstructing the A14 Vilnius–Utena road, the Minister of Transport discussed the possibilities of faster implementation of infrastructure projects in the future and noted that certain preparatory works must be done before the reconstruction or construction of the road begins.
"According to the long-term maintenance and development of roads of national significance until 2035 prepared by the Roads Directorate. strategy for the years 2019-2030, it is planned to implement four reconstruction projects of the A14 Vilnius-Utena road, during which it is planned to carry out the reconstruction of the concrete surface and the improvement of safe traffic. The total length of the road to be reconstructed will be 66,632 km", says Vitalijus Andrejevas, Director of the Directorate of Motor Roads of Lithuania under the Ministry of Transport.
The A14 Vilnius–Utena road is one of the most problematic in Lithuania. This is perhaps the only road with a cement concrete surface, which is worn, deformed and poses a traffic safety hazard. The widening of this road took place already in 2008-2009, when the part of the highway was widened from 2 to 4 lanes from 10,0 to 16,0 km.
