Recently, the construction of Barekamutyun bridge started across the Debed River at Sadakhlo-Bagratashen state border, as reported by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure. At what stage are the construction works? “At present, work is underway on concreting the preparatory layer of the first coastal pillar, as well as excavation work on drilling, concreting and access roads of the first intermediate pillar,” the Road Department SNCO informed us. It is planned to build two parallel bridges, each with two pedestrian crossings and a sidewalk. “The construction of new bridge is a joint project of two countries - the Republic of Armenia and Georgia. When designing the bridge, the best international experience was used, and the construction norms and standards of the two countries were combined, which will ensure high quality, high degree of use of this infrastructure for many years,” said the Road Department SNCO. The bridge is equipped with outdoor lighting and drainage system. Construction work should be completed within 12 months, that is, in April 2022, the bridge should be commissioned. The construction of the bridge is financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the governments of Armenia and Georgia, and coordinated by Joint Armenian-Georgian Intergovernmental Commission. As a reminder, on February 15, 2018, we wrote about the construction of Barekamutyun bridge, for which an international tender was held. 7 organizations participated, 3 of which were shortlisted. As a result, the winner of the international competition was the Iranian construction company Ariana Tunnel Dam Co., which will provide warranty service for another two years after the bridge is put into operation.

The construction of the cultural center and museum dedicated to the outstanding Armenian writer Hrant Matevosyan has been going on for more than two years. The building is located in the center of Armenian capital Yerevan, on Abovyan street. It can become one of the most important cultural landmarks of the capital, completely transferring the visitors to the “writer’s environment”. David Matevosyan, the son of the writer, says that they initially abandoned the idea of a house museum. Instead, they intend to create a cultural center and museum, which would represent the literary heritage of Matevosyan to its visitors in the most lively and harmonious way. “The concept of a house museum in Armenia and in other countries becomes a “dead” idea if it enclosed within the framework of only housing concept. The museum should be endowed with functions, that is, it should make this environment live," said Davit Matevosyan. Matevosyan's Environment with Modern Solutions “According to the initial design, the center consists of three floors, as well as a basement floor. Now the third floor was removed from the project, but it was promised to return it,” said Davit Matevosyan, stressing that otherwise the integrity of the center will not be ensured. In the basement floor there will be an auditorium for various events, including performances, film shows, etc. The ground floor designed for the main exhibition hall. "A writing desk, a typewriter, clothes, books and other personal staff belonging to writer will be presented in the form of a special exhibition. Now the exposition project is being formed, but financial resources are needed. It is necessary to solve the issues of interactive, sound and light presentations for multigenre Matevosyan’s texts, and we will do it," Davit Matevosyan said. Half of the second floor will also serve as an exhibition hall. "On the third floor, the following is envisaged: a hall for temporary exhibitions, that is, an environment where it will be possible to organize small exhibitions, book presentations, readings, meetings with writers. The other half is intended to be used as a dwelling-workshop for those guests who want to study writer’s heritage." "Throughout the world, for decades, there are international programs that allow people engaged in arts to visit different countries and do their creative work. For example, our center can provide an opportunity to specialists in literature or translators to live here and study the art of the writer." A botanical garden identical to the Lori region nature and zones with toponyms of the Matovosian’s “world” will be included in the park improvement works. Davit Matevosyan finds it difficult to say when the center will open its doors to visitors. At the moment the construction of the second floor of the building is completed. General contractor of the construction is "Horizon-95" and the project financed by the Armenian government.

The new bridge named "Barekamutyun" (translated "Friendship" from the Armenian) will become a kind of symbol in the centuries-old friendship between Armenia and Georgia and will further strengthen neighbor’s good ties. Construction of the bridge is planned on the span of Debet River at Bagratashen-Sadakhlo border pass. The project will be implemented through a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The project is coordinated by the Armenian-Georgian intergovernmental commission. For the construction and design of the bridge on January 15 of this year, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technologies of RA signed an agreement with the Iranian company Ariana Tunnel Dam Co. To implement this project an international competition was held through the electronic platform of the bank. The Iranian company with price offer of 7,393,347.95 euros won the competition where 7 companies took part. The new bridge will be built to the left side of the old one and construction work should be completed by 2020. At present, the bridge construction in its design stage. It is planned to build separate structures for two directions. Each structure will consist of main bridge with a length of 160 meters with 5 spans (5x32) and two entrances with 2 spans (28+28). Each direction will have a road width 8.6 m consisting of two traffic lanes, two 1.5 m wide sidewalks and one 0.75 m sidewalk between the lanes. So, the total width of one direction will be 12.45 m. According to preliminary data, the height of the new bridge above the river’s level will be approximately 14 meters. After the commissioning of the new bridge the old one will remain as an alternative passage for various state delegations.