Saint Petersburg Ring Road
Encyclopedia
The Saint Petersburg Ring Road is an 88-mile (142 km) orbital freeway encircling Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. It is the only beltway around the city. The St. Petersburg Ring Road in the Russian road numbering system is listed as the federal public road A-118.

Construction

The need for the construction of a beltway around St. Petersburg was first stated in the 1965 General Development Plan of Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...

. The western segment of the road was planned to be constructed as a causeway part of a proposed flood-protection dam
Saint Petersburg Dam
The Saint Petersburg Flood Prevention Facility Complex , unofficially the Saint Petersburg Dam, is a complex of dams for flood control near Saint Petersburg, Russia...

 on the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...

. In late 1979, the construction of the dam facilities commenced and by early 1990s a two-lane road connected the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...

 with the city of Kronstadt
Kronstadt
Kronstadt , also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt |crown]]" and Stadt for "city"); is a municipal town in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg proper near the head of the Gulf of Finland. Population: It is also...

 on the Kotlin Island
Kotlin Island
Kotlin is a Russian island, located near the head of the Gulf of Finland, west of Saint Petersburg in the Baltic Sea. Kotlin separates the Neva Bay from the rest of the gulf...

. However, any further development of the dam and the Ring Road project was halted in 1992 due to the lack of financing in the midst of economic turmoil in Russia.

The construction of the Ring Road was resumed in 1998. The first freeway section of the Ring Road connecting the north terminus of the dam
Saint Petersburg Dam
The Saint Petersburg Flood Prevention Facility Complex , unofficially the Saint Petersburg Dam, is a complex of dams for flood control near Saint Petersburg, Russia...

, near the Gorskaya
Gorskaya, Sestroretsk
Gorskaya , is a railway station near St. Petersburg, Russia.The station was opened on November 26, 1894, when the Primorskaya line was extended from station Razdelnaya to Sestroretsk.At the station there were two track ways even two lateral platforms....

 train station, with the northern outskirts of St. Petersburg at Vyborgsky District
Vyborgsky District, Saint Petersburg
Vyborgsky District, Saint Petersburg is an administrative and municipal district , one of the 18 in Saint Petersburg, Russia....

 was opened on December 26, 2002. By September 2006, the freeway segments of the Ring Road completed the eastern bypass around St. Petersburg with grade-separated junctions with the E-18/A-181 route
European route E18
European route E18 runs from Craigavon in the United Kingdom to Saint Petersburg in Russia, passing through Norway, Sweden, and Finland. It is about 1,890 km in length.-United Kingdom:...

 in the northern segment, E-105/R-21 route
European route E105
The E 105 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe.The E 105 starts from Hesseng, , Norway and runs along the Russian route M18, Russian route M10, Russian route M2 and Ukrainian route M18 to Yalta, Ukraine.Major towns and cities on the...

 in the eastern segment and E-105/M-10 route in the southern segment of the Ring Road. The completed part of the Ring Road included the cable-stayed Big Obukhovsky Bridge, the only non-bascule bridge across the main branch of the Neva River
Neva River
The Neva is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length , it is the third largest river in Europe in terms of average discharge .The Neva is the only river flowing from Lake...

.

An interchange junction near the international Pulkovo Airport
Pulkovo Airport
Pulkovo Airport is an international airport serving Saint Petersburg, Russia. It consists of two terminals, Pulkovo-1 and Pulkovo-2 , which are located about and south of the city centre, respectively. The airport serves as a hub for Rossiya Airlines , and as focus city for Nordavia...

 was opened in November 2007. By this time, the construction of the Ring Road resulted in a significant boost of the land value in the vicinity of the highway path and interchanges.

The south-western and western sections of the Ring Road including the dam facilities
Saint Petersburg Dam
The Saint Petersburg Flood Prevention Facility Complex , unofficially the Saint Petersburg Dam, is a complex of dams for flood control near Saint Petersburg, Russia...

 and the intersection with the E-20/A-180 route
European route E20
The European route E 20 is part of the United Nations International E-road network.It runs roughly west-east through Ireland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia and finally Russia. The length is . The road is not continuous, at three points, a sea crossing is required. ...

 were gradually constructed throughout the late 2000s. The six-lane causeway across the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...

 comprises bridges, trestles, man-made islands, and a tunnel under the main shipping channel. After more than two decades of construction, the completed Ring Road was officially opened on August 12, 2011 by Prime Minister of Russia
Prime Minister of Russia
The Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation The use of the term "Prime Minister" is strictly informal and is not allowed for by the Russian Constitution and other laws....

, Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...

, and Governor of St Petersburg, Valentina Matvienko, who inaugurated the dam facilities
Saint Petersburg Dam
The Saint Petersburg Flood Prevention Facility Complex , unofficially the Saint Petersburg Dam, is a complex of dams for flood control near Saint Petersburg, Russia...

. The St. Petersburg Ring Road is notoriously noted of the delays and budget overspending during its construction.

General data

  • Length: 142 km (88.2 mi)
  • Width: 17 –
  • Lanes: 4 to 8
  • Bridges and tresles: 105
  • Tunnel: 1
  • Grade-separated junctions: 26
  • Speed limit: 110 kph
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