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Authorities short of 1.5 trillion rubels for completing renovation of Minsk-Mahilyow highway

Belarus' road maintenance and construction authority lacks 1.5 trillion rubels ($178 million) for completing the renovation of the highway linking Minsk with Mahilyow, an official announced on Tuesday.

"The renovation of the M4 highway has been funded with a loan from Belarusbank, 830 billion rubels was provided for the purpose in accordance with a presidential edict in 2010. Half of the amount has already been put to use," Alyaksandr Halawnyow, a senior official at the transport ministry’s road maintenance and construction department (Belawtadar), told reporters in Minsk.

The official said that the money was not enough because of a triple-digit inflation rate in Belarus last year.

A decision on whether additional funding should be provided for the project will be made by the government soon, Mr. Halawnyow said. If extra funds are made available, the renovation will be completed this year, he added.

The roads linking Minsk with the regional capitals total 1,029 kilometers in length. As much as 327 kilometers of the roads have four lanes and 207 kilometers just two lanes. "These highways cross multiple localities with a population under a thousand people, which slows down traffic," Mr. Halawnyow said.

The renovation of the Minsk-Homyel highway is also underway at present. //BelaPAN