EUR 314 million to be allocated for road construction, renovation and maintenance this year

RIGA - This year, EUR 314.1 million will be allocated from the state budget for road construction and maintenance in Latvia, which is EUR 40.6 million less than in 2025, the Transport Ministry informed LETA.

An additional EUR 38 million of European Union (EU) funds will also be allocated for road construction and renovation projects in Latvia this year.

The available funding will be used for construction and maintenance of national highways and bridges, providing targeted subsidies to local governments for construction of streets, sidewalks and bike lanes. It will also ensure connectivity and mobility of residents in the regions, as well as measures to improve road safety.

A total of 570 kilometers of roads are to be built or renovated this year. As a result, it is estimated that 86 percent of Latvia's national highways and 66 percent of regional roads will be in at least a satisfactory condition.

This year, EUR 142.7 million will be invested in construction and renovation of national highways. Meanwhile, EUR 60.1 million will be available in grants to municipalities for street maintenance and construction this year, the same as in 2025. Furthermore, EUR 79.64 million go to routine maintenance work on 20,000 kilometers of roads in Latvia this year.

According to the Transport Ministry, one of the most important projects this year will be implementation of the second private partnership project, the Bauska bypass.

EUR 13.2 million, including EUR 9 million of EU funds, is earmarked this year for measures to improve road safety. These include construction of grade-separated pedestrian and bike crossings on Tallinn (A1) Highway near Medzabaki, on Liepaja (A9) Highway, and Jelgava-Tukums (P98) Highway in Apsupe. Additional traffic safety improvement measures will be implemented on sections of Liepaja Highway, Lapenieki-Kekava-Gugi (P137) Highway, and elsewhere.

At the same time, EUR 10.56 million will be invested this year in construction of pedestrian and bike lanes, including along a section of Jelgava-Dobele-Annenieki (P97) Highway. This year, the Recovery and Resilience Facility funds will also be used for construction of bike lanes in Riga.

Transport Minister Atis Svinka (Progressives) points out that funding for road construction and maintenance has been insufficient for a long time in Latvia, and the overall situation will remain the same this year, given the current priorities of the state budget.

"At the same time, the ministry's objective remains unchanged - to ensure mobility of residents throughout the country," said Svinka, adding that this year priority would be given to road safety improvement projects.