OREANDA-NEWS. Grand opening of the new road section of A-121 Sortavala highway took place on October, 1 in Lahdenpohja region of Karelia. This event has become a milestone for the republic. The new comfortable road will extend along the territory of Ladoga lakeside in Karelia and will connect St.Petersburg to Petrozavodsk. Indeed, the new highway is a modern transport corridor of high quality, and it was immediately appreciated by drivers who ride their vehicles along this road.

Maxim Sokolov, Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, and Andrei Kostyuk, Deputy Head of the Federal Road Agency, who have come specially to the republic to take part in the ceremony have snipped the ribbon in commemoration of the start of the road traffic along the road segment.

Head of Karelia Alexander Khudilainen, Valentin Vaskov, Head of the St.Petersburg-Murmansk Highway Department, Valentin Ivanov, Head of the North-West Road Aministration, Valery Abramov, Director General of VAD JSC, Oleg Telnov, Deputy Head of the Republic of Karelia and Minister of Construction, Housing and Communal Services, and Energy of the Republic of Karelia, Konstantin Kharakozov, Chairman of the State Committee of the Republic of Karelia for Transport, Vladislav Vokhmin, Head of Lahdenpohja region, and Leonid Gulevich, acting Head of Sortavala region have taken part in the ceremony.

Construction of the 190-km-long Sortavala highway is included in the federal target program of development of the transport system of Russia (2010-2015), and approved by the Government of Russia. Implementation of this large-scale project is of great importance to the regions of Lahdenpohja and Sortavala, and for economy of Karelia as a whole. It will provide growth of cargo and passenger transportations in international traffic, will promote development of Syvaoro and Wartsila international automobile customs stations, capacities for extraction of natural minerals, and ecological tourism in North Ladoga lakeside.

The new 10.5-kilometer road section was constructed in year and a half by builders of VAD JSC, St.Petersburg, in cooperation with Karelian enterprises of Karelstroimekhanizatsiya JSC, EPS Ltd. and Seversvyazstroi Ltd.

Today we put in operation a new road section in Karelia. It is a holiday both for those who live here, and for those who travel from St.Petersburg to Sortavala. It is especially pleasant that the new road is constructed in cooperation with Karelian building organizations. I'm sure that it will provide new living standards, - said Minister of Transport of Russia Maxim Sokolov at the opening ceremony.

Minister has also thanked the Government of the Republic of Karelia for active participation in construction of the road which had in many respects enabled implementation of the project in shorter terms, as at first completion of works was scheduled for 2015. However, thanks to the federal financial assistance The project was completed this year.

Head of Karelia Alexander Khudilainen has called the event of historical implication.

The republic's prospects are gas distribution network development in Karelia, construction of new enterprises and of this new road that will provide connection between Karelia and St.-Petersburg. This was our joint efforts that have made it possible to build the road section much earlier than it was supposed. If we keep on solving our tasks this way further, life in the republic will getting better every day, - Alexander Khudilainen observed.

Building works included construction of new communications, construction of new bridges, full arrangement of the road. The main task of construction was to make geometrical parameters of the highway corespond to higher standards in comparison with the old, as well as to increase the traffic comfort and safety.

The former road from the border with Leningrad region towards Petrozavodsk stretched for a little more than 18 kilometers, crossed two settlements - Kulikovo and Hiitola, and passed by undulating land, had many slopes, was very twisting and blind for drivers and pedestrians. Its surface was in poor condition, mostly had no bituminous concrete pavement, but had gravel surfacing instead.

The construction project as a whole included construction of a modern bridge across river Asilanjoki, provision of the necessary facilities along the entire road, installation of traffic signs, barriers and alarm protection, a new bus stop, storm water drain, liquidation of two crossings with railway tracks, construction of branch roads to settlements of Kulikovo, Hiitola, Asilan and Tiurula.

Now the highway bypasses villages of Kulikovo and Hiitola, that improves ecological conditions considerably, as well as throughput of the highway, and enables traffic safety. Builders haven not only have constructed the new road, but preserved carefully the historical site of the road from Keksgolm to Kronoborg.

During the ceremony Minister of Transport of Russia Maxim Sokolov, Deputy Head of the Federal Road Agency Andrei Kostyuk, Head of Karelia Alexander Khudilainen have handed awards to the most distinguished employees of VAD JSC. Head of production department Ivan Buzun and asphalt concrete paving worker Viktor Zaichikov were handed the Gratitude of Minister of Transport of Russia. Certificates of Merit of the Federal Road Agency were awarded to shovel runner Anatoly Neyezhlev, roadworker Alexey Ivanov, mechanical engineer Alexey Minin, general foreman Mikhail Malikov, and development engineer Ilya Zhadanovsky.

Letters of gratitude from Head of the Republic of Karelia were awarded to lift truck machinist Alexey Ivanov, roadworkers Alexander Podovinnikov and Sergei Senkevich, road construction foreman Karl Krepsky, chief of canteen Olga Dudorina.