Skip to main content

Latvia's decrepit roads

A study into the condition of Latvia's road network has revealed that it is largely dilapidated and in need of repair.
February 28, 2012 Read time: 1 min
A study into the condition of Latvia's road network has revealed that it is largely dilapidated and in need of repair. According to the report, carried out for state-owned road network manager Latvijas Valsts Celi (LVC), just 10% of Latvia's roads are in good technical condition. The damning report states that the overall condition of the Latvian road network is bad, with some 25% of asphalted roads and 38% of dirt and gravel roads said to be practically unusable. The report monitors Latvia's network. The country's roads have a total length of 20,100km, including 1,653km of main roads, 5,316km of regional roads (of which 4,051km have an asphalt surface), and 13,000 km of rural roads (of which 2,616km have an asphalt surface).

Related Content

  • Developments in noise-reducing road surfaces
    February 17, 2012
    Mixtures with special additives are being produced for roads, offering noise reduction and aiding recycling. Patrick Smith reports. Noise-reducing road surfacings have been used in motorway construction for some time. But relatively new are noise-optimised surfacings used on roads in towns that do not follow a standard concept.Road trials with these materials have taken place in Germany since 2007 and have been prioritised due to the European Union Guidelines on the Assessment and Management of Environmenta
  • Self-healing roads, slippery roads and slimmer roads
    November 24, 2017
    This month’s bitumen technology pages bring you self-healing roads, slippery roads and slimmer roads and explains why one UK contractor has started manufacturing its own polymer modified bitumen - Kristina Smith reports. Professor Erik Schlangen, who heads up experimental micromechanics at the Delft University of Technology is receiving calls from all round the world these days. And it is hardly surprising because he and his team have invented a great new technology: asphalt that heals itself.
  • A breakthrough in the horizontal reuse of PA (porous asphalt)
    May 12, 2016
    An ambitious objective has led to significant steps in the reuse of PA (porous asphalt). While the market incidentally produces PA with a maximum of 30% of recovered raw materials, BAM has introduced its own innovations, enabling more than 90% of raw materials to be reused. And this year, subsidies from the European Commission will enable the LE2AP demonstration project to be constructed: one kilometre of sustainable PA. Large-scale production is also being developed.
  • New developments in bitumen technology
    November 30, 2020
    From softwood in Sweden to rubber and rubble in Australia - Kristina Smith reports on new technologies which could shape tomorrow’s asphalt mixes