The government of Ukraine, together with the authorities of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, plans to invest up to US$2 billion in the building of a new ring road around the city.
The new road, known as the Great Ring Road, will be around 200km long, of which 65km will be of existing roads and 148km of new roads. The ring road will connect three international transport corridors that run through the territory of Ukraine, as well as four national highways. It will be designed to carry heavy traffic volumes, with eight lanes in all, four in each direction.
Currently, Kiev is the only city in Ukraine that does not have any bypasses. At present transit traffic through the city accounts for 350,000 vehicles/day, including heavy trucks, which often results in major congestion in the centre of the city.
According to the Kiev mayor Vitaly Klitschko, building of the new road will redirect a significant percentage of the transit traffic out of the city. This is expected to reduce the transport load of Kiev by 20-30% compared to the current figures.
Construction work was due to start in February this year and is expected to be completed during the next 4-5 years.
The idea for the building of the new road was originally put forward by the Ukrainian Government as far back as 2009, despite the fact that the initial scheme for the project was designed during the Soviet times. However, due to financial problems, the Ukrainian Government decided to suspend implementation of the project at that time.
In accordance with the scheme for the project, the new road will pass through the basin of the local Irpin river, which is notable for its high peat content and will require the building of an overpass. However, these plans have already been criticised by ecologists as, according to them, the road will pass through two sanctuaries - ornithological and dendrological - and may result in their destruction.
The project includes the construction of two bridges, 22 two-level interchanges and 78 overpasses.
To meet safety requirements and minimise environmental concerns, the new road will be built in accordance with European standards. It will feature special soundproof screens to reduce noise disturbance to residents living alongside the route. In addition, the road will be equipped with lighting, underground passages and ecological tunnels for animal migration.
However, the new route will have no intersections with other roads on the same level and will not have traffic lights. Maxim Melnichuk, head of the Kiev Regional State Administration said, “The cost of the new road will be about US$2 billion. We believe it is important that the road remains under the management of the state, while investors will receive opportunities to build infrastructure next to it. That means the new road will be toll-free."
The majority of investments for the project will be provided by the Ukrainian Government and the authorities of Kiev city, while the remaining funding will be provided by foreign investors and banks in the form of loans.
The name of the contractors on the project are currently not disclosed; however, according to some sources close to the Kiev government, there will be some local engineering companies. The project may also involve the participation of some French bridge and road building companies, as well as the Chinese CRBC corporation.
In the case of CRBC, representatives of the company have travelled to Kiev to start the development of the project documentation following completion of which, construction works will be started.
Deputy chairman of the Kiev City State Administration is Ilya Sagaidak who said, “The fact is that CRBC is one of the world's largest companies, which built five of the world's 10 largest bridges. That means it has extensive experience in the implementation of such projects. And this company has the opportunity to attract very profitable financing - under 2% for twenty years. We discussed the possibilities for cooperation, including not only the Great Ring Road but also with regard to the expansion of various interchanges such as the Shuliavsk highway, one of the central highways in the city.”
