Russia's Corruption Builds $7.8 Billion Road

Corrupt practices in Russia have greatly ballooned the costs of simple road projects ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, according to a recent article from the Russian edition of Esquire magazine.

Corruption in Russia has made road-building so expensive that the same stretches of highway could be coated in an eight-inch thick layer of foie gras for the same price, a study has found.

The decision to publish the bizarre calculation in the Russian edition of Esquire magazine was designed to embarrass the Kremlin, which has failed to tackle endemic corruption in the industry. The magazine used one road, being built for the 2014 Winter Olympics in the southern town of Sochi, as an example. The price tag for the 50-kilo-metre long road is $7.8 billion Cdn, more than the entire costs of the Vancouver Olympics including the upgrades to the Sea to Sky Highway.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/road+Sochi+costs+billion+corruption/3308038/story.html#ixzz0uQmjuj5a

One road in Sochi costs $7.8 billion due to corruption
Daily Telegraph via The Vancouver Sun
July 22, 2010

Sochi Road-Rail Project Quickens Pace

Work is being expedited in Russia to complete a combined rail and road link to improve connectivity to remote host city Sochi.

Russian Railways is speeding up construction of the main infrastructure project for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi – the combined road and rail route linking Adler and the Alpika-Service mountain resort.

In line with requirements set down by the International Olympic Committee, Russian Railways’ contractors are carrying out tunneling work at six tunnel complexes on the mountain route. To date, servicing-evacuation tunnels have been created at complex No. 1, complex No. 5, and rail tunnel No. 2. Work on the other tunnels is proceeding on schedule.

$1.34 bln invested in combined road for Olympics during first half of year
Rail-News.com
July 21, 2010

Traffic Not a Problem During Cup: Gauteng Premier

Infrastructure improvements should be finishing up in Gauteng province, leading its premier to announce that traffic will not be a problem during the World Cup.

"We are confident that in the next few months, traffic on our roads will flow without the congestion and the inconvenience that is currently being encountered," [Premier Nomvula Mokonyane] said in her speech to the Foreign Correspondents' Association.

"We have been given a guarantee by the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) that key parts of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project will be completed by end of April 2010."

The R21 highway joining the OR Tambo International Airport and the cities of Johannesburg and Tshwane would be completed by the end of April, with three lanes opened in both directions, she assured the foreign media.

Traffic to ease during World Cup - Mokonyane
Independent Online
March 23, 2010

Road Work and Traffic Expected Until Late April in Cape Town

Traffic-snarling roadwork throughout Cape Town and on many of its most crucial arterials is expected to continue until late April or even early May.

Speaking at a briefing this morning ahead of Friday's World Cup final draw, [Mayor Dan] Plato appealed to Cape Town drivers to be patient and promised that the work was ahead of schedule.

...Plato said the roadworks chaos would probably end towards the end of April or early in May, when construction work at crucial points, such as the Koeberg Interchange and the integrated rapid transport lanes on Otto du Plessis Drive, should be completed.

Cape Town's traffic headache
Independent Online
December 1, 2009