It is currently planned that next year approximately the same amount of investments will be made in the state roads as this year, however, as the last projects financed by the European Union (EU) Recovery and Resilience Facility come to an end, the level of investments will significantly decrease, Martins Lazdovskis, Chairman of the Board of Latvijas Valsts Celi (LVC) state road manager, admitted in an interview with LETA. He stressed that in 2027 and 2028 we will be at a level of investment that is significantly below the average amount that has been invested in the state roads every year so far.

The road construction season is coming to an end. What has been done and what has not been done?

This construction season was difficult, primarily due to the weather. If we compare it with the previous summer, which was very suitable for road construction works, this year we had enough challenges, especially in Vidzeme and Latgale. In addition, it was around Daugavpils that the major construction works took place this year, as we started to rebuild a four-lane section of the Daugavpils highway and there were concerns about the completion of the works in mid-August.

Now it looks like 95 percent of what we had planned will be done. Yes, we will have two or three projects that should have been completed this year, but the full extent will not be achieved. One of them is the Vidzeme motorway in Sigulda. There will also be sections of the A12 or Rezekne road where work may have to be postponed until next year. But as long as the weather conditions are suitable, the construction works will continue.

Overall, despite the challenges, I would say it has been a reasonably successful construction season.

What is the overall condition of roads in Latvia?

We at LVC, of course, feel that the condition of the roads has improved, and this is what the heads of road administrations in our neighboring countries are telling me. In Latvia, the condition of the main roads and the main regional roads is good. At the same time, I am very well aware that the most important road for each of us is the one that goes directly to our homes, and unfortunately we cannot talk about significant improvements in the local road network. It is also the largest road network, with more than 10,000 kilometers of mostly gravel roads. We are implementing a program to connect territorial centers, and more and more territorial and regional centers are being connected by black-surfaced roads. In each of these places, this is a great development and is very much looked forward to and appreciated by the people, but the size of the local road network is so large that we cannot talk about a significant improvement.

Overall, 1,240 kilometers of the country's main roads are in good and very good condition, or 74 percent of the total. 302.8 kilometers, or 18 percent, are in fair condition and 133.2 kilometers, or 8 percent, are in poor condition. Of the regional roads, 2,826 kilometers or 52 percent are in good and very good condition, 1,318 kilometers or 24 percent are in fair condition and the same number are in poor condition. Of the local roads, 1,688 kilometers or 13 percent are in good and very good condition, 4,805 kilometers or 38 percent are in fair condition and 6,189 kilometers or 49 percent are in poor condition.

On the main road network, this year we are also completing the section of the Vidzeme road to Aluksne. We are currently working on the Daugavpils road. I predict that after the completion of all the currently planned projects, 95 percent of the main national roads will be in good and very good condition. This does not mean that there are no more challenges on the national road network. The challenges are related to the volume of traffic and the fact that people expect four-lane roads that are safe, fast and meet the demands of the 21st century. This is a huge challenge, but as regards the state of the road surface, we have made significant progress on the main roads.

We should also remember that EU funding accounts for a huge part of the investment in all these road sections. This is the first period without EU funding for road reconstruction. But the conditions for EU funding are that these roads need renewal after ten, twelve years. It is on these works that we will have to concentrate in future on the main road network. It is also road safety. So, these are major development projects.

The bridge over Salaca in Salacgriva has been opened after reconstruction in November, but it was by no means the only bridge on a major road that was not in the best condition. What is the situation with other bridges?

I have to say that this was the only bridge on a major road in this condition. Moreover, it should be remembered that this was a municipal bridge which the state took over in order to renovate it.

Of course, bridges are and continue to be a challenge, but I have to say that the proportion of bridges in poor condition is relatively small, around 5 percent. Bridges are structures that require special care, and all bridges are inspected every five years.

There are currently three bridges on the main road network that are in poor condition and need to be rebuilt. These are the bridge over the Kekavina River on the Riga bypass, and two overpasses on the Daugavpils road. However, most of the bridges requiring special maintenance are located on local roads with relatively low traffic volumes.

The Salacgriva Bridge was significant because, as you mentioned, it was owned by the municipality and for many years there was a footballing with the municipality, which said it had no money to rebuild the bridge, and the state, which was not willing to take it over. Are there any other municipal bridges that the municipalities will probably not have the money to rebuild, but that are important for traffic and therefore may have to be taken over by the state in order to be repaired?

Of course, the bridges in Riga are not in a very good condition. In addition, the railway overpass in Jelgava is in need of repair.

But I want to add right away that it must not become a system where the owner of the structure chooses not to invest in the maintenance of transport infrastructure. We can always talk about priorities here. We can always talk about what the voters in each municipality will value more - building a stadium or fixing a bridge.

You have already mentioned that EU co-funding will not be available for road construction in the coming years. What will LVC budget look like next year and what will the priorities be?

I am pleased that, largely as a result of a public debate, we have managed to keep the investment section of the budget the same as it was in 2025. Yes, we will have less money to manage, we will have to become more efficient, but investment will remain.

There will be changes, of course, and they will apply to EU funds. It was in the regional and local roads program that we still had the EU's Reconstruction Fund, which was linked to the administrative-territorial reform and the linking up of regional centers. The last project we carried out under this program was the Valdgale-Roja road.

What is coming next is the military mobility program, under which we will be working on the Sunakste road, which is the road to the new Selija training ground.

The other EU funding programs focus on two objectives: the construction of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, where we will work significantly more than we have in the past, and road safety solutions in places where there are accidents and the situation cannot be improved by other means

So, at the moment, the 2026 funding looks very similar to what we have in 2025. But with the end of the EU Reconstruction Fund for the Rojas road, we will be down by some EUR 30 million in terms of investment, because the funding for the Sunakste road is only for this one project.

From 2026 onwards, but in 2027 and 2028 in particular, we will be at a level of investment that is significantly below the average amount that we have invested each year so far. In addition, we must also be aware that the price level in 2018 was completely different from this year, so the amount of work that we can buy for the same amount is objectively much less today. This is a concern for all of us. We have also spoken to the transport minister about this issue, and the minister also stresses that, when it comes to other priorities, we must not forget the roads, which are, and undoubtedly will be, the backbone of Latvian transport.

What is the projected funding for investments in 2026, 2027 and 2028?

In 2026, 2027 and 2028, the forecast capital investment is EUR 130 million per year.

However, I would like to stress that this is a forecast that is subject to change with the changes in the budget law.

How long is the national road network now? Should it not be reduced, since other European countries have a much shorter national road network than Latvia?

It is so. For example, the Austrian national road network is 2,400 kilometers long. This type of road network, with three different categories, is very specific and typical of the Baltic countries. It does not really exist anywhere else.

The total length of national roads managed by LVC is 19,823 kilometers. Of these, 1,676 kilometers are national main roads, 5,463 kilometers are regional roads and 12,684 kilometers are local roads.

Every year we hand over sections to the municipalities, but it is about 40-50 kilometers. These are the less busy roads. Without living in a utopia, but being realistic about the future budget for roads, we will not be able to invest anything in these roads in the next 20 years. But from the point of view of the municipality, these are not low-volume roads.

There are 6,000 kilometers in total, which also no longer meet the definition of what a national road is. Let us remember that the National Roads Law was created at a time when there were more than 487 municipalities in Latvia and a national road was any road that connected two adjacent municipalities. Today, the number of municipalities is 10 times smaller and, consequently, there are a large number of national roads that run within a single municipality, thus not meeting the definition of what a national road is. These roads perform a classic municipal road function.

This is something that should be discussed, and I believe that we are not going to get anywhere from this discussion.

Do you have agreements signed on the average speed measurement systems?

Yes, we should have the next average speed cameras installed at 17 locations by the end of this year. After that, we will have a total of 35 sites.

How will you further develop the network?

We will talk about it. At the time, it was planned with the Transport Ministry to have at least 50 such sections. Overall, I have to say that these sections are having an effect and reducing the average speed. Of course, this does not mean that everyone does it, but overall the speed is reduced and the traffic flow is smoother.

There was also a myth at the time that there would be a significant increase in accidents before or after these sections because people would try to drive faster. Today, the statistics do not prove this.

Winter will soon be here. Are winter road maintenance contracts in place everywhere, and will there be no situations like in previous winters when public transport buses were unable to use the roads?

Next year is the last full year in which we will continue with all the contracts we have signed in the past. This year we will already start the procurement for the next road maintenance contracts. I do not foresee any major changes at the moment.

At the same time, it is more than clear that there will be snowy days in winter when it will be difficult to get from A to B. Main roads are the first ones to be cleaned, then the busiest regional roads, then the local roads. If we think that every kilometer of local road will be passable the morning after a snowstorm... it would be very difficult to make such a promise. Then we would have to keep huge reserves of equipment and human resources, and then we would question whether resources are being used adequately. We need to be more tolerant to each other, including road maintenance workers, because they work 24 hours a day in bad weather.

You have already mentioned that micromobility will be important. What are the nearest plans?

We started building pedestrian and cycling infrastructure more intensively last year. It is also very gratifying to see how much people appreciate this infrastructure. They are very welcome projects in the local community. Among the new projects, the Valmiera-Murmuiza, Cesis-Janmuiza and Daugavpils-Lociki paths have already been launched this year. Daugavpils-Krauja will also be included. In total, there will be 10 more projects. Not all of them will be launched next year, but we will build them by 2028. The main goal is to have sections that are usable for everyday mobility, so that people do not drive to school or work, but use the pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.