Liepāja SEZ reveals that 364 meters of road costs as much as three cars, but won't be ready until 2026

Liepāja SEZ administration has figured out how to turn 364 meters of road into a project as complex as building a bridge to the Moon. For the sum of 303,617 euros, which in Liepāja would be enough to buy three good cars and still have money left over for a coffee cup, an access road to pier 92 will be built. For comparison — in Riga you could buy a one-room apartment for that money, but in Liepāja you could get a house with a sea view on the Liedags side.

The most interesting thing is that this road has been marked on plans for years, but now it has taken several years to attract European funding. As local fisherman Jānis says: "I think they were waiting for the fish to learn to drive cars to the pier themselves." Waiting this long for a road to the pier — it's like waiting for a bus at the Tosele stop on a winter evening.

Liepāja SEZ manager Uldis Hmieļevskis proudly announced that the road will be ready by the end of summer, but the contract stipulates a deadline until September 2026. So if something goes wrong, fishermen will have to wait another two years. While people in Riga complain about Metro construction speeds, we in Liepāja are proving that a 364-meter road can be built faster than a railway.

The funniest part is that this road is being called "publicly accessible infrastructure with a smart lighting system." In Liepāja we've long known that the smartest lighting is the sun, but perhaps Europeans don't know that.