Western High Speed Diameter

A LEGAL dispute is now underway in Russia over the St Petersburg ring road project. Construction company Flora was awarded a €187.6 million contract for an 11km section of the ring road in 2008, winning the tender by making the lowest bid. However, the Russian authorities have taken the contract for this section of the ring road away from Flora claiming it did not meet set targets. Flora is disputing the loss of the contract with the authorities.

A new section of Western High Speed Diameter (WHSD) highway from the Ring Road (KAD) to the Hyundai plant in Kamenka, has been opened to traffic in St Petersburg. The WHSD and KAD interchange will be completed by 2012 when the entire third phase of the highway will be built. The US$7.23 billion WHSD Tollway in the city is sponsored by the Federal Road Agency and it is said to be one of the most important means of solving the city’s transport problems. It is a strategic investment project to develop the ci

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) intends to provide a US$277 million (€200 million) loan to the Northern Capital Highway consortium, which will build the central 11.5km section of St Petersburg’s Western High Speed Diameter (WHSD) route. The EBRD’s board of directors has said will consider the loan on 14th February 2012. The finance package is of note as Russian road projects have largely found funds from other sources so far. The Northern Capital Highway consortium estimates the

Overall, Russia is to benefit from a major highway investment programme. The Federal Transport Development Programme will feature a budget of $21.5 billion for the 2010-2015 period. Some $15.1 billion is to be allocated for highway construction and repairs. Russian city St Petersburg and the surrounding the Leningrad region will see the start of major investment in infrastructure during 2011. The road sector will benefit strongly, with projects underway including the southern section of the Western High Spe