In recent years, Russia has seen an active development of toll highways. The trend, based on public-private partnerships (PPP), not only speeds up road construction but also improves the transport situation in large cities. In Moscow, where about 100,000 new cars are registered every year, the need for new highways is becoming increasingly urgent.
The first toll road inside the MKAD, Bagration Avenue, was opened in September 2023. The six-lane highway, 22 km long, became the largest PPP project in Moscow with investments of over 68 billion rubles. Thanks to it, the travel time from the MKAD to Moscow City has been reduced threefold, and the load on other roads has decreased by 8-15%. The toll for traveling on it is 650 rubles, and for transponder owners — 450 rubles. The entire payment system is organized seamlessly to avoid delays.
The second toll highway in Moscow was the Moscow High-Speed Diameter (MSD), 68 km long. The road connects 10 major outbound highways and improves transport accessibility for 4.5 million residents.
Moscow city authorities are planning to expand the network of toll roads. One of the new projects will be a road from Leningradskoye Highway to Third Magistralnaya Street, which should be completed by 2028. Investments in this project will amount to more than 150 billion rubles. The highway will help relieve existing routes and improve transport services.
Other projects are under development. The road from Trofimova Street to Sevastopolsky Prospekt will connect the southwest of the capital with the new ZIL district. The length of this highway will be more than 11 km, and the cost — over 30 billion rubles. The road should relieve neighboring transport arteries.
Moscow is not the only region where toll roads are developing. In Russia, there are more than 3,500 km of toll roads, including federal roads such as the M-11 and M-12. St. Petersburg also has toll highways, such as the Western High-Speed Diameter.
Toll roads not only facilitate traffic but also contribute to the development of infrastructure in the surrounding areas. New enterprises are opening on such highways, which creates jobs and increases tax revenues. According to estimates, one kilometer of toll road can create from four to seven new jobs.
Tolls in Russia meet world standards. The cost of travel varies from 6.17 rubles to 50 rubles per kilometer, depending on the type of vehicle.
In large cities, toll roads can significantly relieve the center, improving the quality of life. It is important to consider that toll roads are not justified in every city, especially if they do not solve the problem of congestion in key areas.
In general, toll roads are becoming an important element of Russia's transport infrastructure. They help to cope with growing traffic volumes and provide more comfortable conditions for drivers. The development of toll highways in Moscow and other regions opens up new opportunities for improving the country's transport system.
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