The Armenian government has designated parts of 135 land plots in Aragatsotn Province as being of overriding public interest to complete the reconstruction of the Ashtarak-Talin section of the North-South transport corridor.

The government-approved decision covers the 34-kilometer Ashtarak-Talin road section, where construction began in November 2023. As part of the project, the main roadway, bridges, intersections, agricultural crossings, the drainage system, as well as lighting and road infrastructure have already been completed, according to Sputnik Armenia.

During construction, residents of nearby communities raised concerns about access to their land plots.

"Following design revisions, approximately 8.5 kilometers of access roads to land plots and secondary roads have been designed on both the right and left sides of the reconstructed highway," the explanatory note to the project states.

To implement these changes, the government said it is necessary to acquire affected portions of 135 land plots located across 11 settlements in the Ashtarak, Shamiram and Talin communities.

The affected land plots are located in the settlements of Ujan, Kosh, Aruch, Shamiram, Nerkin Bazmaberd, Nerkin Sasnashen, Verin Sasnashen, Katnaghbyur, Davtashen, Yeghnik and Talin.

The project stipulates that landowners will receive fair compensation in advance, while the expropriation process is to begin before April 1, 2027. The amount of compensation has not yet been specified.

The Republic of Armenia will acquire the land through the Road Department Foundation, which will act on behalf of the state.

According to the authors of the project, the changes will ensure both the uninterrupted implementation of the North-South highway program and unimpeded access for residents of nearby communities to their land plots.