About 700 kilometers of rural roads have been asphalted in the current year – which started March 21 – in collaboration with rural communities, Seyed Hossein Mirshafi, the deputy of roads and urban development said on Sunday, as IRNA reported. The official added that a further 600 kilometers of rural roads will be asphalted in the near future. According to the official, rural citizens pay for the asphalt and the government helps with supplying the required tar. Mirshafi says 56 trillion rials ($2.07 billion based on official exchange rate) is needed for the construction and maintenance of the country’s 103 thousand kilometers of rural roads. “The government will have 2,000 kilometers of roads paved by the yearend,” he stated.
