Reconstruction of Baltijos Avenue will facilitate to deal with street jams and pollution problems of the port city

With capacities of stevedoring companies growing and cargo flows increasing at a fast rate, it is essential to ensure rapid and smooth transportation of cargo to and from the port without causing traffic jams on the streets of the port city. Baltijos Avenue is an especially important artery of the city which will incorporate the planned central connection from the new Passenger and Freight Terminal (completion of which is planned for 2010 near Smiltyne Ferry Terminal Two on the site between Minijos, Varnėnų and Nemuno streets and the extension of Baltijos Avenue).   

 

Consequently, in order to ensure a convenient traffic of passengers and freight to and from the new Passenger and Freight Terminal on the central connection from the city of Klaipeda to the Klaipeda-Vilnius highway, it is necessary to carry out reconstruction of Baltijos Avenue.  At present the thoroughfare has an extremely intensive traffic, as a result jams occur constantly and inhabitants of the residential areas in the vicinity of the avenue suffer from pollution and noise.     To solve these issues, three intersections of Baltic Avenue with Minijos, Taikos avenue and Šilutės plentas will undergo reconstruction.  

The development of project proposals and technical designs for the intersection of Baltijos Avenue and Minijos street is planned to be completed within 10 months – this intersection will be of tunnel type according the detailed plan.  Project proposals and technical designs for the other two intersections (junctions of Baltijos and Taikos avenues and Šilutės plentas) will be completed within 18 months; these will be two-level junctions.

 

Following development of project proposals and technical designs, actual reconstruction works of Baltijos Avenue will start, completion of which is planned by 2013.   It is expected that part of funding will come from Cohesion Funds of the European Union.