St Petersburg tunnel moving forward
Jan 2010
Paula Wallis, TunnelTalk
- As a sign of growing confidence in the economic recovery, officials in St Petersburg, Russia are pressing ahead with the 47.7 billion ruble (US$1.6 billion) Orlovsky toll tunnel under the River Neva. Government officials this week (February 2) announced that they will reopen the bid process for the PPP highway tunnel project that stalled in 2008 following the preliminary screening of qualified consortia.
-
Location of the Orlovsky highway tunnel
- In a published report, Alexei Chichkanov, chairman of the city’s investment and strategic projects committee said that the tender commission plans to review the bids for the construction and operation of the tunnel and select a private partner on April 2, 2010.
- In December 2007 four teams prequalified to bid on the project:
• Nevsky Concession Company, lead by Vinci;
• Nevsky Tunnel Consortium, comprised of Strabag, Zublin, Egis and Basic Element;
• Bouyguesproject Operating, lead by Boyugues;
• Neva Traverse GmbH Consortium, of Hochtief and Boskalis.- According to reports, City Government officials confirmed that the original conditions of the tender remain the same and that the process will restart at where it stalled.
-
- They expressed confidence that all four teams will submit applications to tender despite the fact that the estimated cost of the tunnel has increased from 26.4 billion rubles (US$900 million) to 47.7 billion rubles (US$1.6 billion).
- The City had planned to select a partner in mid-2008 but the project fell victim to the global economic meltdown and in early 2009 a decision was made to suspend the project due to the financing issues.
- The 1km (3,281ft) road tunnel under the Neva River will link the city center with the north-east part of the St Petersburg. From the north, the tunnel will connect to thoroughfares leading to the ring road and to major federal and regional highways. From the south, the tunnel will connect with the Smolny Embankment and the city center.
- Orlovski Tunnel
|
|
|
|
|
Add your comment
- Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and comments. You share in the wider tunnelling community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language professional.
