Russian road deals

The new eastern bypass for Khabarovsk in Russia is being discussed by the local authorities. The 30km highway will feature four lanes and will connect the Chita–Khabarovsk (M-58) and Khabarovsk–Vladivostok (M-60) highways. It will also link with roads in the city at nine interchanges. The highway will have a speed limit of 140km/h. The project will be run on a public–private partnership basis and will cost US$540million. The government will provide 20–25% of the finances required, with the rest coming from private sources. A number of firms have already shown an interest in the project. The toll road will be operated under a concession basis. And a feasibility study is underway for the second bridge across the Ob River construction in Russia’s Surgut region. The 1.56km bridge will take 5–6 years to construct and will cost over $1 billion to build. The first bridge over the Ob River was built in 2000. Average daily traffic already exceeds its planned volume, which is why the second crossing is required.