EBRD channels €42.5 million for completion of Minsk ring road
By Anton Usov
MKAD2, an outer ring of the Minsk ring road
Project to promote better transport infrastructure in Belarus
The EBRD is providing a €42.5 million loan for the completion of the outer ring road in Minsk, which will enable better interconnections around the Belarusian capital and improved links between the country's major highways.
The Bank is providing a long-term loan of up to €42.5 million for the completion of the outer (second) ring road in Minsk. The project will be led by the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Belarus.
Minsk has a population of more than two million, in a country of 9.5 million people. Road and traffic connections are centred around the capital, and in total, the road network of Belarus exceeds 86,000 km. About 16,000 km of the country's major highways carry the bulk of freight and passenger traffic.
The project will address a number of major challenges in the current network: • It will help to complete a remaining 15 km section of the 160 km Minsk outer (second) ring road.
• The section of the P80 road from Sloboda to Papernya will be increased from two lanes to four.
• Once completed, the Minsk ring road will provide better links between the two major motorways, the M2 and M3.
• It will ensure effective interconnections around the capital by facilitating the flow of goods and diverting transit traffic away from the city.
• The project has been supported by a €100,000 grant from Italy through the Central European Initiative and is expected to receive further support aimed at reform in the road sector.
All contracts in this EBRD-financed project will be procured by open tender, in strict compliance with the Bank's Procurement Policies and Rules. The process will provide equal opportunities for eligible bidders and contribute to the transparency and cost efficiency of the project. All works will be implemented under International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) contracts and supervised by experienced consultants.
Since the start of its operations in Belarus in 1992, the EBRD has invested over €2 billion in 95 projects in various sectors of the country's economy.