New bridge planned to span Russia’s Ob River

A new bridge is being planned in Russia that will span the Ob River, in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area in the Urals. The new 1.6km-long bridge will be the second to be constructed across the Ob River, with the first lying close to the city of Surgut. The new bridge will form part of a project to build a 44km highway section, with the new route expected to take 40 months to complete and at an estimated cost of US$645.5 million. The development of new transport infrastructure is desperately needed in the region. Although the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area is comparatively sparsely populated, it provides a significant percentage of Russia’s oil and gas production. The city of Surgut is one of the most important centres for Russia’s oil and gas industry and while it sits on the R404 Federal Highway, better road links would reduce extraction costs.