On Thursday, December 21, the Eastern Motorway opened to traffic in Riga, with construction starting in May 2021, with both phases of the project running in parallel. The total length of the motorway is 2.8 km, stretching from the intersection of Vietalva and Piedrujas Streets to the intersection of Ūnijas Street and Gustava Zemgala gatve. Two overpasses were built as part of the works: Ieriķu - Dzelzavas Street overpass and Madonas Street overpass.
"This is a historic day for Riga – for the first time a bypass road has been built for the historic city centre and this will bring a lot to Riga as a whole. By opening this thoroughfare to traffic, the city centre will become free from the burden of transit trucks, and light vehicles will be able to get around the city centre more quickly and easily, making it a more pleasant place to live and more convenient for the daily routine of Riga's residents and visitors. I am grateful that Riga City Council has worked very successfully with the Government to implement the Eastern Motorway and that significant EU funding has been attracted to the project." Vilnis Ķirsis, Riga City Council Speaker, said at the opening of the Eastern Motorway today
Meanwhile, Olafs Pulks, Chairman of the Traffic and Transport Committee of Riga City Council, said: "The opening of the Eastern Motorway has an impact on the whole of Riga – the motorway makes it faster to travel from different areas of Riga on both banks of the Daugava, and there will be no need for cars or trucks to pass through the city centre. The motorway is one of the biggest infrastructure projects in Riga for the period of many years, the works started only two and a half years ago and have been completed within the promised deadlines."
Jānis Vaivods, Acting Director of the Riga City Council's Department for Outdoor Space and Mobility, also stressed that the opening of the motorway will relieve traffic in the centre.
"The construction of the Eastern Motorway will not only ensure fast and convenient bypassing of Riga city centre, relieving the historical centre of Riga and the Purvciems neighbourhood from freight traffic, but also a safe pedestrian and cycling infrastructure in the adjacent area. Pedestrian and cycling infrastructure has been improved in the area adjacent to the motorway through landscaping works, and four tunnels have been built as part of the project, three of them for safe and comfortable pedestrian and cycling movement, and one for road transport."
Road construction company AS “A.C.B” project Manager Dāvis Serdāns:
"The Eastern Motorway is one of the most important traffic infrastructure projects in Riga in recent years and will bring significant benefits both in terms of traffic relief and in terms of faster driving through the city. As part of this project, we have built around 120,000 m2 of new asphalt concrete pavement and nearly 100 km of new utility lines for the city. We are therefore pleased that we have managed to complete the project on time and open it to traffic just before Christmas, so that anyone who needs to use the route to greet family and friends can do so more conveniently."
The construction of the Eastern Motorway will provide the possibility of bypassing the centre of Riga and relieve the historical centre of Riga and the Purvciems neighbourhood (Dzelzavas Street, Gustava Zemgala gatve, Ieriķu Street) from freight traffic. The motorway will also provide drivers with fast access to Purvciems, Plavnieki, Dārzciems and Teika neighbourhoods.
The commissioner of the construction of the Eastern Motorway is the Riga City Municipality Department of Spatial Planning and Mobility. Project development and supervision by the general partnership “G.B.V.”. Construction supervision was carried out by SIA “Firma L4”. Construction contractors – 1st round – association of suppliers "ACB, TILTS", 2nd round – association of suppliers "AM RĪGA".
The project was modified on 22.05.2023 to include the Cohesion Fund financing for Eastern Motorway’s section
"Ieriķu - Vietalvas Street" 2nd round. Project 6.1.3.1/19/I/001 "Construction of the Eastern Motorway "Ieriķu - Vietalvas Street"" aims to construct a section of the Eastern Motorway to divert transit and freight traffic away from the city centre. The contract amount is EUR 74.88 million, of which EUR 43 million is from the Cohesion Fund, EUR 1.5 million from the state budget and the remainder from the Riga City Council.
Information prepared by: Lelde Rudzika, Project Coordinator at External Communication Division of Riga City Council, email: lelde.rudzika@riga.lv
