SALEKHARD, December 20. /TASS/. Investments in construction of the first tall bridge across the Pur River in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region to connect Urengoi and Korotchayevo will be about 8 billion rubles ($136 million). A concession agreement may be inked in 2018, the Region’s Governor Dmitry Artyukhov told reporters on Wednesday.
Now, without a bridge, the river may be crossed in summery by a pontoon bridge, in winter - by ice, and in spring and summer there work barges and hovercrafts. The new bridge will provide year-round communication with the "mainland" for residents of the Urengoi and Tazovsky settlements. It will unite the Region’s southern part, which has good transport infrastructures - railway and highway lines, with the developing Arctic territories.
"The bridge across the Pur is a long-awaited project," the governor said. "As you well know, now we have temporary bridges with all the problems in spring or autumn.
"We have a concessioner, who wants to build a self-sufficient bridge. We are sure, next year [2018] we shall sign an agreement… Investments in the project would be about 8 billion rubles," he said, though refusing to name the concessioner.
The payback approach would be based on the tall payable by trucks at the bridge. "Already now, the locals registered here cross the river for free, and heavy trucks have to pay," the official said. "Our position is that the fee paid now would be twice less, and thus the bridge will pay back within 7-8 years."
Stable transport connection is also important for the companies, working in Yamal, the governor continued. On the river’s right shore there are deposits of 14 companies in the fuel and energy sector.
TASS wrote earlier, the bridge should be ready in 2019. It will be 3.4km long, with one lane in every direction. The contractor plans to implement the project within 25 months.