Construction - Saint Petersburg, , Russia
International PPP - project. The government of St. Petersburg has signed a concession agreement for the Orlovsky tunnel with Nevskaya Concession Company, LLC. The concession agreement includes the design, construction and operation of Orlovsky tunnel under the Neva River. Tunnel will contribute to the development of St Petersburg's transport system and will reduce the intensity of traffic in the city center and the area around the tunnel. It will also provide an uninterrupted, around the clock transport link between the left-bank and right-bank districts of St Petersburg, and will reduce the load on existing bridges over the Neva River. A third of the estimated construction cost of the tunnel will be funded by the federal budget, one third will be covered by the municipal budget and the remaining amount will be provided by investors. In early July 2011, Nevskaya Concession Company placed an order with Herrenknecht – the TBM manufacturer, based in Schwanau, Germany – for the construction of a Mixshield. The tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the Orlovski Tunnel will surpass all previous TBMs. With a diameter of 19.25 m, the tunnelling shield, designed to link both halves of the center of St. Petersburg under the River Neva, sets a new world record.