Inter Golden Roads of Alexandria

"Podrobytky continues its series of stories about Ukrainian roads. Domestic motorists say that there are only a few highways in the country that can be driven comfortably. The rest are potholes on top of potholes. Moreover, millions are spent on their repair every year. Roman Bochkala conducted an experiment and found out how much it really costs to lay asphalt.
Roman Bochkala, correspondent:

- A year ago, there were no pits here. There was smooth asphalt. And now there are potholes again. This happens every year. They are filled in, and they break again. It's a vicious circle. Meanwhile, more and more money is allocated from the budget.

Last fall, the asphalt on the central square of Oleksandriya was completely replaced. But in the spring it was covered with potholes. Millions of hryvnias were wasted. The city and regional officials who solemnly opened the square after the repairs are now at a loss to find someone to blame.

Deputy Mayor of Oleksandriya Lyudmyla Davydenko assures us that the city hall had nothing to do with it. The region was responsible for repairing the square. The regional administration promises to look into it.

Oleksandr Cherniavskyi, Head of the Main Department of Industry at the Kirovohrad Regional State Administration:

- Appropriate conclusions will be drawn, and those responsible, if indeed they are, will be punished, I think.

The roads in Oleksandriya, and in the entire Kirovohrad region, have long been golden, if you count the amount of money spent on their repair, says Viktor Medvid, head of a local NGO.

Viktor shows us a section of road that was built just the other day. One hundred thousand hryvnias were spent, but it seems that the repairs can be started again. We find the workers who repaired the road. We asked them if they were satisfied with the work they had done. We decided to conduct an experiment and find out how much a square meter of road actually costs.

We do everything as it should be done. We roll the prepared soil, the so-called "sub-base", with crushed stone. Then we apply a mixture of screenings and bitumen.

- They either save money on the amount of asphalt itself, or they make it five centimeters high instead of seven. And over ten to twenty kilometers, this amounts to millions of stolen hryvnias.

We roll the asphalt and count.

Viktor Medvid, head of the public organization:

- Taking into account the cost of materials, the cost of the equipment used, and wages, it ranges from 74 to 150 hryvnias.

The figures for the Oleksandriya City Hall are different. For local officials, repairs cost three times as much.

Lyudmyla Davydenko, Deputy Mayor of Oleksandriya:

- Well, for two hundred hryvnias. 180, 230, whatever. It all depends on what other conditions we offer.

The numbers are roughly the same across the country. However, drivers say this has little effect on the quality of the roads.