The State Company Russian Highways, Avtodor, has announced that two teams have submitted bids for the M3 Ukraine PPP project.

The two bidders are the following:

• Mostotrest, which has estimated the total project investment at RUB17.243 billion (US$406.7 billion), and
• Autobahn, which has estimated the total project investment at RUB17.101 billion (US$403.3 billion).

The preferred bidder is set to be announced on 26 November this year.

The M3 Ukraine PPP project involves the reconstruction, maintenance, current and capital repair and toll operation of the road from Moscow to the border with Ukraine (on to Kiev) passing through the cities of Kaluga, Bryansk on sections km 124- km 173 and km 173 - km 194.

The contract period is 23 years.

The project was approved on 31 December 2009. The highway is a keystone for granting intensification of social-economic, industrial, trade and cultural ties between dynamically developing regions of the Russian Federation, being the city of Moscow, Moscow region and Kaluga region, and also territories between Russia and Ukraine followed by lands in the direction of countries lying in south-east Europe.

This month Avtodor has announced bidders for two other road PPP projects:

• Section 5 of the Moscow Central Ring Road (CRR). The project involves the construction, maintenance, current and capital repair of the 76.44 km section.
• 4th section of M-11 Moscow-St Petersburg highway (km 208 - km 258). The project involves the construction, maintenance, current and capital repair and toll operation of the road.