Tenders in for €2.6 billion Russian ring road

Tenders worth a total of Rub 127.7 billion (€2.67 billion) are being considered for the third and fourth stages of the central ring road (TsKAD) in Moscow province, according to research company PMR.

Russian road agency Avtodor is in the final stages of selecting preferred contractors for the scheme. It includes construction of 105.3km of road between 2016 and 2018 in phase three and a further 96.5km for the final section of highway.

The third section of the central ring, which has been designed as a four-lane road, joins the express road between Moscow and St Petersburg with the M7 Volga Highway.

It will be achieved through PPP (public-private partnership) funding, with a total of 51% of the third stage and 45% of the fourth stage being developed through private investment funding.

Since forming in 2009, Avtodor has developed a series of express roads connecting Moscow, St Petersburg and central Russisa with Baltic sea ports. Its roadbuilding programme has also improved access to Belarus and Ukraine.

In June, the road agency carried out an initial tendering process for the central ring road that included bids from firms including Neo Centre consulting and Setec into exploring the technical and financial requirements of the project. Avtodor is due to make a decision on contracts by October.