Budget deficit stymies the development of transport infrastructure.
During his working visit to the Vladimir Region yesterday Prime Minister Vladimir Putin opened a new bridge across the Oka near the ancient city of Murom, visited a physical culture and sports complex in the regional centre and chaired a conference reviewing the sports facilities' construction programme in Russia. His final stop was at the local public reception office of the United Russia party.
The Prime Minister yesterday reviewed the interim results of his programme for building custom-made bridges across Russian rivers. These are exceptionally complicated bridges that are built to individual designs. In 2004 the country had 17 bridges whose construction had begun in the Soviet period but which was then put on hold due to political changes and economic problems.
The Prime Minister reassured the builders by saying "This is a major programme and we will continue the work. There will be a lot of work for you," before posing for pictures with them on the new bridge. It is worth remembering that in 2005 the then President Putin set up a government programme to speed up the construction of unfinished bridges. The bridge across the river Oka near Murom is an exception. According to Rosavtodor head Anatoly Chabunin, this is the only bridge included under No.18 of the programme which was built from scratch.
Perhaps for that reason the Murom bridge was built as scheduled within just three years. Transport Minister Igor Levitin reported the fact with relish recalling that another item on Putin's programme, the bridge across the Volga in Ulyanovsk, took 22 years to build (from 1986 to 2009). "Our bridge-building industry would have been lost if we had not launched this programme," Levitin said. However, he is not sure what the future holds in store for bridge-builders. The programme will conclude this year and no federal money has been allocated for future projects. "We are not planning to start the construction of new bridges," Levitin stressed. "If completion of such a project is delayed, the cost increases by about 30%".
While in Murom, the Prime Minister, thanks to the internet, was able to see not only the new bridge across the Oka, but other bridges covered by the programme. However, he did not promise money for the new programme Levitin was asking for. There are many rivers in Russia and few roads and bridges. The Federal Budget, shorn of much of its revenue because of the crisis, definitely cannot afford to finance all the projects. It is not by chance that the head of Rosavtodor believes it necessary to concentrate on reconstructing the bridges and crossings built 30-40 years ago which are outdated and dilapidated. The way these bridges are designed makes it impossible to modernise them as part of a routine overhaul. So the federal programme Development of the Transport System in Russia in 2010-2015 sets out the goal of rebuilding these bridges. After sorting out the problems of bridges, the Prime Minister headed for Vladimir to deal with the questions of building sports facilities across Russia's regions and the work of the local reception office of the United Russia party of which he is the chairman.
Igor Naumov