Residents are outraged: the municipality has dismantled a recently installed bicycle and pedestrian path. Currently, street reconstruction has begun on the Nemenčinė highway, during which it was necessary to remove the old bicycle path. However, the municipality also has good information: it will soon be convenient for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers to travel along this street.
The bicycle and pedestrian path of the Nemenčina road was renovated in 2021. As the municipality says, this reconstruction was necessary due to the extremely poor condition of the path. Then the most appropriate decision was made - to reconstruct the path and not wait for the start of the Nemenčinė road reconstruction project. The former infrastructure was dilapidated and posed a danger to cyclists and pedestrians.
"In order to change the location of the path, it would have been necessary to prepare a project, the preparation of which takes time. In addition, the withdrawal of the pedestrian and bicycle path due to the widening of the street is foreseen in the Nemenčinė road reconstruction project, so preparing a separate project would not have made sense both in terms of time and finances", says Gabrielius Grubinskas, Vilnius city municipalities Media relations specialist.
The section of the Nemenčinė highway from Kairenai to the Vilnius border will not only be reconstructed, but also widened from two to four lanes. The new lanes will be installed in the current locations of the bike and pedestrian paths. That is why the current coating is being destroyed.
"This reconstruction is a project that the people of Vilnius have been waiting for, thanks to which communication with the Vilnius district in the north-east direction will become smoother, safer and of higher quality. According to the project, not only additional traffic lanes will be built, but also rainwater collection ditches, new pedestrian and bicycle paths will be installed. They will be on the same side of the road as before and will properly connect with the existing paths located outside the city limits of Vilnius. The reconstruction of the road will take place in stages, the installed and updated infrastructure will be available to use without waiting for the completion of the entire reconstruction", the municipal specialist notes.
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The reconstruction of the Nemenčinė highway is a difficult project that will last one and a half years. It is planned that the full reconstruction will be completed in 2026. the first half of the year.
