Lithuania to build 2+1 road following Road Safety Exchange partnership with Sweden

Lithuania will convert a two-lane highway connecting its capital Vilnius to the city of Utena in the north east of the country to a 2+1 road, for improved safety, it has been announced.

2+1 roads were pioneered in Sweden. They feature two lanes in one direction separated by a central barrier from one lane in the opposite direction.  The direction with two lanes is switched every few kilometres.  A Swedish study found that the change from a two-lane rural road to a 2+1 road with a central barrier can cut deaths by half.  

The Lithuanian announcement follows the country’s participation in the EU-funded Road Safety Exchange project which is administered by ETSC on behalf of the European Commission.  A Lithuanian delegation, including a vice minister of transport, visited a 2+1 road in Sweden in 2023, as part of the programme.