On September 28, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. Traffic has been opened on the southwestern bypass around Vitebsk, reports a BELTA correspondent. The solemn ceremony of opening traffic on the bypass route was attended today by the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Alexander Kosinets, representatives of regional authorities, the State Automobile Inspectorate, and road construction organizations involved in the project implementation. According to Alexander Kosinets, the opening of the southwestern bypass is a significant event for Vitebsk and the region. "The main result of the project will be the ability to relieve traffic congestion in the regional center. Now, the flow of heavy vehicles traveling from the Minsk direction in transit through Vitebsk to the Polotsk direction will be redirected along the bypass highway. This will favorably affect traffic in the regional center and the environmental situation in the city," noted the Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee. In addition, directing the flow of heavy vehicles along the bypass route will spur the development of the Vitebsk region and the emergence of roadside service facilities along the highway. "And this issue needs to be addressed now: it is necessary to open a petrol station, a hotel, a cafe, and car rental points," added the governor. Alexander Kosinets drew attention to the fact that thanks to the rationalization proposals submitted by the employees of OJSC "Road Construction Trust-1, Vitebsk" (DST-1) for improving design solutions, it was possible to increase the width of the asphalt concrete pavement from the initially planned 8.5 m to 12 m without changing the construction cost. This made it possible to make the highway safer and significantly increase its throughput. Savings of Br3.5 billion were achieved through the use of SARN structures as a temporary bridge over the Luchesa River, along-route reserves, and optimization of the soil delivery scheme. Another significant point, according to the governor, is related to the attitude of road workers towards the implementation of this project: DST-1 allocated its own funds in the amount of Br15 billion for financing works on the Starinki-Novka section, which was not provided for by the state investment program for 2012. This made it possible to put this section into operation ahead of schedule. The Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee expressed words of gratitude for the work done to the representatives of all organizations and departments that took part in the project implementation.