Astaldi lands £765m St Petersburg contract

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Astaldi lands £765m St Petersburg contract

A 50-50 joint venture of Astaldi and IC Ictas has signed a €1.1bn (£765m) contract to build 140km of the Moscow to St Petersburg motorway in Russia.

The Italian and Turkish contractors will carry out the design and construction of two lots of the motorway. The joint venture will work as general contractor and on behalf of Two Capitals Highway, comprising VTB Group and Vinci Concessions. Two Capitals Highway was awarded the concession for construction and management of the motorway by Avtodor, the state company responsible for building and developing Russia’s toll motorway network.

The Moscow – St Petersburg motorway is set to play a strategic role for the country’s infrastructure development, particularly in light of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted in Russia.

The Astaldi and Ictas work covers lots 7 and 8 of the motorway, which will form Corridor Nine of the Trans-European transport network. The route will have both six-lane and four-lane sections, with traffic travelling at a maximum speed of 150km/h. The project will start by the end of this month and work should take 35 months.

The same joint venture is already working on the the Western High-Speed Diameter project in St Petersburg.

Source: The Construction Index

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.