The Russians are Coming. The Russians are Coming

As soon as they can get the toll road built:

Federal authorities hope to ease traffic congestion in Moscow by constructing a toll road around the city that will be used primarily by truckers, the state company responsible for the project said Monday.

But drivers weary of traffic jams have little reason to rejoice. The first section of the road is only expected to open in five years.

....The road is also expected to attract 70 percent of European cargo traffic now bypassing Russia via Ukraine, Belarus and Poland and to create 200,000 new jobs, said Roads of Russia, the state-owned enterprise that has commissioned the project.

....The road would circle the Moscow Ring Road at a distance of 30 kilometers to 50 kilometers, the spokeswoman said.

The company report puts the cost at 262.9 billion rubles ($9.7 billion). The region is expected to provide from 25 percent to 50 percent of investment in cash or land for the construction. Private companies are expected to invest the rest in exchange for the right to collect toll fees.