Increased spending for St Petersburg roads

The authorities in the Russian city of St Petersburg will spend some US$514.6 million on road construction and reconstruction during 2012. The city authorities will use public and private partnerships to push ahead with planned road infrastructure projects. Private investors will be invited to participate in construction of two highways with bridges across the Neva River, a highway with a bridge at the intersection of Fayansovaya and Zolnaya streets, and the Northern highway #7 connecting Arsenalnaya embankment with the Vyborgskoe highway. The highway projects will be prepared in 2012-2013, with construction set to commence in 2014. These new highways should be completed following the opening of the central section of the Western high-speed diameter highway, which is set for 2016. Construction of the new highway sections is estimated at around $80 million/km. In addition plans are being made for the bridge project that will connect Serny Island. This project was previously estimated at costing $320 million. And 3974 Avtodor has also opened the tolled section of the M4 Don highway after its reconstruction. The project cost around $193 million, with Inzhtransstroy acting as contractor. The section of highway was widened with the addition of two lanes and equipped with a traffic control system. The new link is designed to carry 40,000 cars/day.