The expected filling of the Road Fund is about UAH 40 billion over the country. Since 1 January 2018, the relevant law has come into effect, and we are currently planning to transfer 35% of the total sum, aimed at repairing local and communal roads, to the regions. It is about UAH 11.5 billion, said Hennadii Zubko, Vice Prime Minister – Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine, before the start of the expanded governmental meeting on decentralisation and regional development with the participation of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman.

"From 300 to 600 million hryvnias are currently in oblasts’ disposal. And it's important for us not to simply allocate funds from the Road Fund to each region. Every region should clearly approve the programme on the reconstruction and construction of roads for several years. It's not about the pit repair of local roads, they need to be built from scratch with safety functions, lighting and new requirements of the State Building Norms," said Hennadii Zubko.

Vice Prime Minister stressed that it is also about major repairs of main-line roads, and about UAH 30 billion will be allocated to this programme. Publicity of road repairs funding is also an important condition.

"I emphasise once again that the road infrastructure is building the economy. And in the first place, it is important for us to modernise the main-line roads, so that the transportation of goods and passenger traffic were fast from east to west. But we understand that it is not possible to develop hromadas, create hub schools, ASCs and new services, as well as develop rural healthcare without roads. Therefore, in the next 3-5 years, key changes in the road infrastructure and materialisation of the decentralisation reform in general should take place," said the official.

According to Hennadii Zubko, restoration of roads in the country is possible at the expense of the combination of state subvention, local budgets, as well as funds coming to the regions under sectoral subvention.