Finance & Funding

Slovakia’s 14km stretch of the east-west motorway D1, from Bidovce to Budimir, will open in December, according to the government. Last year, Slovakia’s motorway company NDS and the transport ministry agreed a subsidy of nearly €204 million for the D1 section. The EU is covering 85% of the project cost, while the remaining 15% is covered by the government for construction the Budimir-to-Bidovce stretch, near the city of Kosice. The section, being built by Skanska for almost €237 million, is part of th

The finance package required for Colombia’s Popayan-Santander de Quilichao highway project is being secured. The highway forms part of Colombia’s fourth generation (4G) motorway plan. Costing US$692.5 million, the necessary financing should be in place by July 2019. The work includes building 78km of dual carriageway and no less than 31 bridges. It also includes improving 18km of single carriageway roads and also installing two new toll booths. The construction work is expected to take a further 36 months t

Solutions have been found that will help finance key road projects in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro State. A combination of road concession packages and PPP agreements are expected to deliver the US$2.16 billion required to carry out the 142 projects needed for key infrastructure work in Rio de Janeiro State. Some of the infrastructure projects are for utilities or waste handling, but around 80% of the works needed for Rio de Janeiro’s southern region will be for road maintenance or upgrades. Key highways in need

Financing worth US$70 million is being provided by the African Development Bank (AfDB) for a key road project in Nigeria. The 198km road project will help improve transport in Ebonyi State, as well as between Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon. The project is expected to cost close to $168 million. The route of the Ebonyi Ring Road intersects with the new highway being built to link Enugu in Nigeria with Bamenda in Cameroon at two interchanges. This new ring road will provide better transport flow for the k

Two major road projects are being planned for Russia’s first and second cities, Moscow and St Petersburg. Bidding is opening for the project to build a stretch of Moscow’s North-East Expressway. The work is expected to cost around US$780.6 million and includes building five viaducts and three bridges, as well as rebuilding the existing Novosavinovsky Bridge. Meanwhile in St Petersburg, construction work for the Eastern High-Speed Diameter (VSD) is now being held back until 2022 at the earliest. The work i

Financing is being secured for an important road connection in Rwanda. A grant of US$42 million is being provided by China, following and agreement with the Rwanda Government. The funding will help to pay for a 10km stretch of road that links Kigali with Masaka, lying to the east of the city. The work will also improve connections to Eastern Rwanda, while helping to boost the country’s economic development.

Ethiopia is now benefiting from a new tolled route, improving transport between Dire Dawa and Dewele.

The European Commission said it will investigate the public financing for the Fehmarn Belt link to see if it in line with state aid rules. The announcement follows the European Union General Court's annulment of a previous Commission decision approving the support. "Today's opening of such an investigation is an invitation for all stakeholders to provide their input, which will allow the Commission to adopt a new, well-informed final decision,” said Margrethe Vestager, EU Competition Commissioner.

Financing worth over US$705 million (A$1 billion) has been secured for road projects in New South Wales, Australia. This budget is for the 2019-2020 period and will pay for over 40 separate road projects. One of the key road projects targeted in the programme of works is for the M4 Smart Motorway, connecting Parramattta and Penrith. The work to the M4 is expected to cost $75.75 million (A$107.4 million). Meanwhile in Adelaide, South Australia, plans are in hand for a $283.5 million (A$402 million) grade