Russian authorities approved the construction plans for a key part of a massive highway that would connect western Kazakhstan in Central Asia and Belarus, a toll road that will substantially shorten travel time between China and Western Europe.
The Meridian will stretch over 1,200 miles. It is part of the larger Silk Road project by China’s Belt & Road Initiative which plans to reach over 5,000 miles into central Europe, and which critics say is a stalking horse to greater Chinese influence and leverage across the globe.
Russia’s Meridian highway will be in the neighborhood of $9.3 billion with a timeline of 12-14 years to break even. Russian Holding owner, Alexander Ryazanov, said his company already owns 80 percent of the land through which the highway would run.
The highway projections show that the toll road is shorter but more expensive than the alternate three rail options. It would begin at the Russia-Kazakh border and connect with an existing highway in Minsk, Belarus.
Sergei Sanakoyev, head of Russian-Chinese Analytical Center, told The Moscow Times that although the Meridian is “economically justified,” Mr. Ryazanov may not have the proper resources to carry out the project. “The question is whether or not Ryazanov has enough financial and administrative resources and the right people. I don’t see it now,” he said.
The four-lane highway will allow vehicles to drive close to 70 mph and is scheduled to be completed in 2020. Cargo will be transported between the three continents in 11 days or less, according to calculations from the Russian Ministry of Transport as reported by World Highways.
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