The annual road sector conference organized by SLLC Latvian State Roads (LSR) was held on April 9 and 10, the first day of the conference was dedicated to development plans and traffic safety and the second day traditionally was devoted to construction technologies and quality. Experts from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Sweden was participated in the conference.

Record of April 9

Record of April 10

The conference was opened by the Minister of Transport Atis Švinka . The first day of the conference was dedicated to traffic safety and road development plans. Mārtiņš Lazdovskis, Chairman of the Board of SLLC Latvian State Roads (LSR), presented the planned improvements in the state road network this year, while Martynas Gedaminskas representative of Via Lietuva informed about the development projects of Lithuanian state roads. Klāvs Grieze, Director of LSR Development Division, talked about current and potential development projects in the state road network in Latvia.

During the day the conference featured presentations on traffic safety issues by Gundars Kains, Director of LSR Traffic Organization Division, Edgars Ļeonovs, Traffic Organization Engineer of LSR Traffic Organization Supervision Department, Ivars Austers, Professor and Leading Researcher at the University of Latvia, PhD, and Gatis Konrads, Head of the Development and Investment Department of the Sigulda Municipality.

Lecturers Johan Petersson and Matteo Pettinari from NIRA Dynamics (Sweden) talked about how real-time data received from connected vehicles can help in assessing the carrying capacity of roads and planning maintenance work. Juris Derevjanko, Director of Road Management and Maintenance Division of Latvian State Roads, talked about maintenance issues in the state road network.

The first day of the conference was also feature an expert discussion focusing on serious road accidents in the Baltic States. The discussion was attended by Tālivaldis Vectirāns, Director of Road Infrastructure Department of the Ministry of Transport, Ainārs Morozs, Deputy Director of Traffic Organization Division of Latvian State Roads, Pauls Timrots, host of TV programme Zebra dedicated to car and traffic safety, Edmunds Ozolnieks from Safe Driving School (DBS), as well as Maria Pashkevich, Head of Traffic Safety Department of the Estonian Transport Administration, and Viktoras Lapinas, Project Manager of the Infrastructure Maintenance Department of VIA Lietuva. The discussion will be moderated by Normunds Avotiņš, host of TV programme Auto ziņas.

Verners Akimovs, Member of the Board of Latvian State Roads, opened the second day of the conference, and it was traditionally dedicated to quality and technology issues. Expert Geert Smit from the company Ecorys (Netherlands) talked about the implementation of the principle of “do no significant harm” in road construction processes.

Jānis Tihonovs, Head of Road Construction Projects Department, LSR, presented the planned reconstruction of the Daugavpils highway (A6), and Gints Alberiņš, Director of Construction Division, LSR, talked about quality supervision and control of construction works. Other LSR specialists – Andris Balodis, Bridge Construction Engineer of Bridge Department, Endijs Līdaks, Technical Director, Mairis Čukurs, Leading Project Manager of Road Management and Maintenance Department was also have a floor during the second day at the conference. The Estonian experience was presented by Taavi Tõnts, Senior Engineer of the Development and Management Department of the Estonian Transport Administration. The Head of the Management Systems and Audit Department of CBF SIA Binders Eduards Veide, and the Member of the International Geosynthetics Society, Bc. sc. ing./Bc. oec. Juris Indāns ws also have a floor.