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Proceeds from the 2014 Telethon of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, to be held on November 27, will be used to implement the final phase of the Vardenis-Martakert Highway construction project, the press service of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund said.

With funds raised during the 2013 Telethon, the first phase of the project was kicked off in early 2014 and is slated to be completed by year’s end. To date, crews have performed earthwork and installed all required engineering systems and fittings including drainage grates and pipes, embankments, crash barriers, and retaining walls. Crews have also built or refurbished a total of 17 big and small bridges, including abutments, along the route. Currently sidewalks are being built in sections of the highway that pass through towns and villages.

The Vardenis-Martakert Highway has a total length of about 116 kilometers and a width of ten meters, seven of which will be comprised of asphalted surfaces. Close to 12 kilometers of the highway’s Vardenis-Karvachar segment have already been asphalted. The next segment, up till Martakert, is currently paved with gravel and is suitable for car traffic.

With proceeds from the 2014 Telethon, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund will complete the asphalting of the entire highway as well as install all remaining safety and navigation components, including traffic signs and lane marks.

Initiated at the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s 2013 Board of Trustees meeting, the Vardenis-Martakert Highway construction project is of major economic and strategic significance. When completed, it will function as an additional lifeline between Armenia and Artsakh, helping boost the economies and specifically tourism industries of the twin republics, with the 22 large and small communities which dot the length of the highway becoming the main beneficiaries of increased economic activity.

Toward the realization of this major construction project, the worldwide affiliates of the fund have been carrying out a multitude of public-awareness and fundraising campaigns since the beginning of 2014. Moreover, the fund has launched SMS- and postal-donation programs in Armenia, encouraging grassroots support of the initiative.