Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr I. Khalilova / The South Korean consortium STX offered the Azerbaijan Transport Ministry to consider the possibility of constructing a highway bridge in the Baku Bay, the head of the Transport Policy & Economic Department of the Transport Ministry, Sadraddin Mammadov, reported on 30 August.
According to Mammadov, several variants are being discussed - from Zikh settlement to Shixov bay or from Nargin island to Garadagh region. The Korean company offered to construct a toll highway bridge, enabling the return of the investments to STX while the bridge is up and running. After approximately fifteen to twenty years the bridge will be handed over to the Azerbaijani Government for further management.
"That is a profitable project from the standpoint of tourism development. On the other hand, the state will not have to front the expenses to implement the project," Mammadov said. Although the bridge will toll users, the charges will be minor compared to the savings in time and fuel users will reap by using the bridge. The charges will be paid through a card or through a special ticket displayed inside the vehicles, from which the sum will be deducted electronically from the vehicle owner's account.
The amount of investments required for constructing the bridge has not yet been decided, for it will depend on the selected variant. The length of the bridge can vary between 15km to 29km.
The cost of the project will be defined after its development, which can begin after the Azerbaijan Administration agrees. The Government has already been informed of the proposal.