2024-04-22 03:37:34
Investments that will affect the tariff of supplied heat. This is how the works, which will require a lot of funds, at the intersection of the West Ring Road and Ukmergė Street, would be called this mildly.
Here, the landscaped environment has already been destroyed twice, 42 trees have been transplanted, some of them twice. If it doesn’t stick, you will have to plant new ones. And where are the environmental improvement works?
Will heat suppliers willingly allocate funds from their profits for those works? No, it will increase the price of heat. Almantas Stankūnas, an energy expert and member of the municipal council, is convinced of this.
Transplanted to the green zone
For the first time, the environment around the Western Bypass was created in the fall of 2022. It was repaired in the spring of the following year, but deep ditches were dug out again in the fall.
Until now, tree trunks have been filled with earth, piles of them have been piled up. Even though the trenches have already been leveled, the grass will not turn green soon.
The representative of the municipality, Gabrielius Grubinskas, said that 42 trees had to be transplanted to the nearby green zone.
“Their condition will continue to be monitored, if the trees do not recover, the contractor should replant them at his own expense. There are no vegetation in other places of the construction of the heat supply line, there was no need to remove them”, explained G. Grubinskas.
After the completion of the expansion works of the sections of the heat supply network, the contractor will also have to clean up the environment and restore the grass cover.
Received requests
The last section of the Western bypass from Oz to Ukmergė street was opened at the end of 2016. It also includes the place where the works are now being carried out.
The city’s General Plan has already provided for a new residential block near the bypass, which will require heat supply. Was it not possible to build the thermal lines together with the Western Bypass?
G. Grubinskas agreed that the development of heat supply networks is carried out taking into account the development of the city – the projects carried out by developers, the development of companies and new construction plans.
“Only after assessing the current and expected demand for heat consumption, the company Vilnius šilumos tinklai can rationally plan and implement development projects.
In the mentioned place, the development of heat supply networks started to be planned as soon as we received requests from the developers to connect to the centralized heat supply network, which happened already after the construction of the Western Bypass and the reconstruction of the intersection,” the representative of the municipality testified.
An underground pumping station is being built
In the twice-excavated area near the Western Ring Road, on Ukmergė and Mykolas Lietuvio streets, sections of the heat supply network are being developed, connecting new consumers to the centralized heat supply network – new tracks are being built and an underground pumping station is being built.
The tender work started in September of last year, and in December, most of the trenches were already buried.
Currently, finishing works are being carried out at the site of the installed pumping station at the intersection of Ukmergės Street and Western Bypass.
An outdated system is in operation
“Works can definitely be better planned if the General Plan is taken into account and further city planning is foreseen.
But the outdated system is still working, when applications from developers are awaited, even though the city could immediately set the conditions for centralized heating in one or another quarter, to build tracks in advance”, said A.Stankūnas.
He was happy at least that the thermal tracks did not destroy the asphalt, they were built in a trenchless way. True, it often happens that even with the use of such technologies, irregularities appear in the road surface after a while.
However, the biggest problem is that heat consumers will have to pay for these works. “There will be a burden on their shoulders because it’s an investment. The amortization of those investments is calculated and it is included in the heat tariff”, explained the energy expert.
Proposals – already later
Nearby is another example of having to pay twice for work. He is on Mykolos Lietuvios street.
For a long time, this street was a potholed gravel road. Then asphalt appeared on it, but with the naked eye you could see that the work was not completed completely.
Residents were stunned by the municipality’s news that the improvement of Mykolos Lietuvios street will be continued. More precisely, the repaired street will be repaired again, as it is intended to prepare a reconstruction project that would include the widening of the carriageway, as well as the installation of sidewalks and lighting.
Because only after the start of repairs by order of the municipal administration, the company “Vilniaus planas” began to prepare project proposals for the section from Ukmergė to Geležinios Vilkas streets.
Adaptation of the street for all road users and a comprehensive infrastructure were provided for later: modern pedestrian and bicycle paths that meet street standards, a street with four traffic lanes (two in each direction), installation of the infrastructure necessary to provide city transport services, measures to reduce noise and pollution.
The case was not investigated
Why couldn’t it all be installed at once?
It turns out that there was a case in court in which the detailed plan for the construction of Mykolos Lietuvios Street was contested.
The court of first instance recognized the detailed plan as legal, but this decision had not entered into force, as the verdict of the higher court was awaited.
Before he arrived, the municipality started asphalting Mykolos Lietuvios street. It is said that several problems were solved in this way.
First of all, the conditions have been improved both for drivers using transit through Bajori and Visori, who used to choose B. Krivickas street more often due to the poor road surface, and for people living in this area, for whom the traffic will now be calmer and the street will be less dusty.
In addition, the problem of rainwater, which caused Mykolos Lietuvio Street to become impassable after heavy rain, has been solved.
A place where the environment is created for the second time
For the last stage – almost 100 million. euros
The Western Bypass was officially opened in 2016 just before Christmas.
In the last stage of the construction of the bypass, a 5.4-kilometer section of the expressway was built from Oz to Ukmergė Street. 6 viaducts and a pedestrian bridge were also built.
The total value of the last stage of the bypass is 94.5 million. euros. 84.4 million euros was allocated by the European Union.
2024-04-22 03:37:34