OREANDA-NEWS. July 05, 2012. Petrozavodsk was a venue for the Russian-Finnish seminar within the scope of the agreement between the Ministry of Construction of the Republic of Karelia and Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of North Savo (Finland). Road builders from Karelia and Finland met to discuss issues of road maintenance and traffic safety. Director of the Department of Transport and Infrastructure of the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of North Savo Petri Keranen, experts of this department and representatives of large road enterprises of Karelia took part in the seminar.

According to Petri Keranen, one of the primary goals of Finnish road builders is maintenance of roads in perfect condition. A developed transport network is a good precondition for development of business. Petri Keranen has submited results of the poll of businessmen in Finland – good roads are the most important for successful development of business, but not the assistance of the state and its grants.

Besides, provision of high capacity of international border-crossing points is also one the Department's priority tasks. Growth of traffic at the international border-crossing points makes 20% a year. This year Finland allocates €4 million to equip additional lanes.

Deputy Minister of Construction Nikolay Skersanov told the seminar participants that the ministry has prepared and submitted applications within the framework of the program of European Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument (ENPI) between Russia and EU to conduct reparing works on the road from Louhi to Suopera in 2012–2013 on the site between the 110th and the 160th kilometers from the settlement of Paozersky to international border-crossing point Suopera, to conduct reconstruction of the road from Ihala to the state border through Raivio in 2012–2014 on the site from the 0th to the 28th kilometers.

Within the scope of cooperation reparing of regional public roads of the Republic of Karelia from Voinitsa to Kostomuksha through Voknavolok and from Kem to Lonka through Kalevala (on the site from the settlement of Kalevala to the village of Voinitsa) was launched since July of 2011. ENPI has allocated more than €1 million for implementation of the project. On these roads repair works are conducted using Finnish dust-control technology.

Discussing the issue of road maintenance, Deputy Chief of Automobile Roads Department of the Republic of Karelia Victor Grushin has deteremined the basic problems in this sphere. The reason of problems faced both in Karelia, and in Finland is insufficient financing. At the need for 2,5 billion roubles this year Karelia has been allocated 800 million roubles. The Finnish experts said that they also face great difficulties with financing. With Karelian road builders they have shared their experience of maintenance of gravel roads in Finland in the transition period.

This year a new program was adopted in Finland to increase traffic safety. Experts of the Department of North Savo have presented projects increasing traffic safety implemented by the Regional Center of the Department.

Federal target program Increase of Traffic Safety in 2006–2012 is implemented in territory of the Republic of Karelia. The new federal target program for 2013-2020 is being developed currently. The draft program of Increase of Traffic Safety in the Republic of Karelia in 2012–2015 has been developed in our republic. Soon the program will be approved. As a result of performance of activities of the Program it is supposed to create conditions in the Republic of Karelia for decrease of the number of road accident victims by 10% in relation to 2011, to provide introduction of modern means of traffic organization, development of facilities and equipment of fire prevention and ambulance divisions, to promote communications work with minors. Deputy Chief of the Department of Road Construction of the Ministry Dmitry Kondrashin has told about it to participants of the seminar.

Summing up, Finnish and Karelian road builders discussed further cooperation within the framework of the Agreement, and stated problems on which closer cooperation and interaction is necessary.