Six key highways in Ukraine may become toll roads
2 December 2024 12:49
The government has already drafted a bill to introduce toll highways in Ukraine. This was reported by Оnline.ua with reference to Deputy Minister of Community and Territorial Development Serhiy Derkach, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to the official, the traffic of six key highways is being analyzed to assess the feasibility of introducing toll roads.
“The issue of toll roads is a requirement of the EU. We have a draft law on this issue and are now working on its implementation… In order to make a high-quality road, we need to analyze traffic intensity, and such an analysis is currently underway on 6 roads to launch the toll road mechanism. We are talking to investors, there are agreements with the EIB,” emphasized Serhiy Derkach.
He said that based on the results of this analysis, appropriate decisions will be made, but Ukraine is actively moving towards the introduction of toll roads and sooner or later there will be toll roads in the country anyway.
A brief history of toll roads in Ukraine
We must admit that the government is indeed more or less actively and consistently moving towards the introduction of toll roads
In July 2021, the Ministry of Infrastructure announced that six toll roads might appear in Ukraine. The list of these six roads was also provided, which were planned to be built on a concession basis in cooperation with private investors:
M-29/M-04/M-18 – Kharkiv-Dnipro-Zaporizhzhia;
M-03 – Boryspil-Poltava;
M-14 – Kherson-Mykolaiv;
M-06 – Kyiv-Zhytomyr-Rivne;
M-08/M-19 – Yahodyn-Kovel-Lutsk;
M-04/H-11 – Dnipro-Kryvyi Rih-Mykolaiv.
The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers also approved the maximum amount of payment for a single trip on a public road built under a concession – it was set, depending on the category of vehicle, in the amount of EUR 0.023 per kilometer to EUR 0.133 per kilometer.
In the same year, 2021, in December, it was officially announced that the Krakovets-Brody-Rivne highway would become the first Ukrainian highway. This was announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who said that the construction of the road would begin in 2022 and that the highway would be built on a concession basis with the participation of investors. on December 7, a meeting was even held under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister to discuss the implementation of public-private partnerships within the framework of the project for the construction and operation of a highway on the route Krakovets-Brody-Rivne, which was called one of the most anticipated projects for the country. And the absence of such roads in Ukraine for 30 years has been assessed as an “economic crime” against the state of Ukraine.
In June 2023, Ukrainian officials again mentioned working on a national toll road system in Ukraine. Mustafa Nayyem, head of the State Agency for Reconstruction, said during a roundtable discussion on “Transport, Logistics and Infrastructure” on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London that the Ministry of Reconstruction was preparing a feasibility study for the construction of tunnels in five regions using a public-private partnership mechanism for concessions at the expense of the budget. Dnipro, Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, and Poltava regions were mentioned in this regard.
“We have actually registered a draft law that allows us to do this, and we understand how to do it. I think this is one of the most promising projects in our country,” the head of the State Agency for Recovery said at the time.
Nayyem assured that the toll roads would be for trucks only, and said that they plan to start this project as soon as partners appear and that companies from the European Union are already looking at it.
And, apparently, now we have a new attempt to implement an old idea.
What about toll roads in the European Union?
Toll road projects are implemented in different ways in Europe. Somewhere there are more of them, somewhere less.
In Poland, most highways and some expressways are tolled for both cars and trucks. The toll system on Polish roads is quite extensive and includes both automatic toll collection systems and traditional toll booths.
In France, toll roads make up a significant part of the highways – they are designated by the letter “A”. The toll road system is highly developed, and almost all major highways are tolled. Payment is collected at special points located at the entrance or exit of highways.
In Italy, toll roads or freeways cover most of the main highways. Tolls vary depending on the distance and type of vehicle.
Germany is one of the few European countries where the use of motorways remains free for passenger cars. However, there are several important aspects of toll roads, including tolls for trucks, environmental zones, and some tunnels that charge additional fees.
Toll roads are rare in the UK. The main toll facilities are bridges, tunnels, and certain sections of highways.
The main differences between toll roads and free roads are the quality of the pavement and the organization of traffic. In European countries, toll highways have a good surface and special traffic management. They are free of traffic lights and left turns, and instead have safety barriers installed in the middle of the road. All this contributes to faster traffic.
There is also a fundamental feature – every toll road has a free alternative, which, however, is usually slower.
Road tolls are charged differently and in different ways. In some countries, payment is made by purchasing a vignette, which is a special permit that confirms that you have paid the tax for using the toll roads of a particular country. For example, in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, and some other countries, a vignette is mandatory for passenger cars.
In other countries, payment is made for the distance traveled at control points or with the help of special electronic devices. And some countries do not collect road tolls for passenger cars at all.
On average in Europe, 100 kilometers of toll highway costs 5-8 euros.
