Until recently, few resources have been set aside for maintenance of the Latvian road network. Today, however, the situation is changing rapidly and the amount of financing has reached the level where full-time attention is being given to this industry. In spite of the fact that the main competence is developing in the private sector, the Latvian State Roads as a client plays one of the main roles in ensuring road quality. The paper highlights the problems encountered, and areas of progress, in the transition, since Latvian independence from the Soviet regime to the European free market economy with respect to issues such as: legislation and working to the higher standards of the European Union with respect to cooperation with contractors and consultants in the design stages and procurement processes; adequate supervision of the growing amount of construction work; the lack of qualified personnel including engineers; and cooperation with neighbouring countries. For the covering abstract see ITRD E139491.
Abstract