Italian-Turkish consortium wins Russian toll-highway job ahead of World Cup

ROME

DHA photo

A joint venture between Italian contractor Astaldi and Turkey’s IC İçtaş, which is also constructing the third bridge over Istanbul’s Bosphorus, has signed a contract to design and build a 140-km stretch of the new Moscow-St. Petersburg toll highway in Russia, in preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The total contract value amounts to 68 billion rubles, equal to approximately 1.1 billion euros, said Astaldi in a written statement on July 21. 

“The Moscow-St. Petersburg highway plays a strategic role for Russia’s infrastructure development, as well as in light of the 2018 World Football Championship that will be hosted by Russia. The works to be performed refer to Lots 7 and 8 of the highway, which will form Corridor Nine of the Trans-European transport network. The route will feature both six lanes and four lanes, with traffic travelling at a maximum speed of 150 km/h,” the statement added. 

Works will start by the end of July and are planned to last 35 months, according to the companies. 

Astaldi said the contract win would allow for “significant operating economies” because the joint venture is already working on another road project nearby, the Western High-Speed Diameter in St. Petersburg.