Vilnius gets half of all construction

Lithuanian builders carried out 2.96 billion litas' (850 million euros') worth of construction projects in 2002, up 13.1 percent year-on-year, with some 50 percent of total construction works carried out in the capital, the statistics department reported.

According to a department statement, construction of new buildings accounted for 36.6 percent, repairs made up 32.7 percent, and reconstruction accounted for 25.7 percent of the total volume.

As many as 72 percent of construction works were carried out in the districts of Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipeda, with the districts of Telsiai and Taurage ranking last (5 percent).

In 2002, a total of 1,972 residential houses containing 4,442 apartments were built in Lithuania, up by 746 apartments in comparison with 2001 results.

Lithuanian builders erected 1,128 non-residential buildings with a total floor space of 640,700 square meters last year, down by 31,800 square meters from the figure in the previous year.

According to preliminary data, construction attracted 7.9 billion litas' worth of investments in 2002, an increase of 1.9 percent year-on-year.

Some 4.4 billion litas, or 55.5 percent, of total investments went toward the construction of engineering buildings, with 718.5 million litas, or 9 percent, of the total amount invested in residential buildings.

Three percent of total construction works, or 80 million litas, by Lithuanian firms were executed in foreign countries.