MOSCOW, May 2 (Itar-Tass) — Udmurtia's authorities said they were ready to build a new bridge across the Kama River with their own money, even if they fail to reach an accord with the investors. The project costs 14 billion roubles, head of the republic Alexander Volkov told reporters on Wednesday. He underlined that in case of a lack of "legal purity" in the project proposed by the private partner, the republic will fund the drawing of project documents later this year to launch the project in 2013.
"At least, we'll know that it will be optimal in terms of costs; that we'll be able to build a bridge across Kama, commission it and then move on," Volkov said.
"The republic does not intend to give up the project provided there are no risks to its budget. I have no right to jeopardize ten billion roubles of our budget to be paid to the private partner," Volkov said.
In January 2012, Udmurtia postponed the implementation of the 14-billion-rouble project, in connection with the conditions brought forward by the winner of the tender, as they turned out to be disadvantageous to the republic.
In December 2011, the Udmurtia administration approved the draft of a concession agreement to build and operate bridge passes across the rivers Kama and Bui near the town of Kambarka on the Izhevsk-Sarapul-Kambarka highway on the border between Bashkortostan and Udmurtia. The only participant in the tender to conclude the agreement was the Regional Investment Company. The cost of works was estimated at 13.942 billion roubles.
The bridge is intended as a link between provinces of the Central, Volga and Ural Federal Districts via regional transport routes, such as Kirov-Izhevsk-Ufa-Orenburg and Nizhny Novgorod-Kazan-Izhevsk-Yekaterinburg.
The project, if implemented, will ensure round-the-year motor transport link with Udmurtia's Kambarka district. At present it can be accessed by ferry in the summer or by an ice pass in the winter. It is cut off from the rest of the republic during off-seasons.