Washington, 18 September 1996 (RFE/RL) - A three-day conference on highway construction and transportation projects in the nations of the former Soviet Union opened yesterday in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The conference, sponsored by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, is to review $6 billion worth of planned construction projects to familiarize U.S. firms involved in road, bridge and tunnel construction, design engineering, construction equipment and traffic control. They will also look for local business partners.
The projects include a $500 million Siberia and Far East highway project in Russia, a $132 million urban transport program in Ukraine, a $304 million Ukraine highway rehabilitation project, and other proposals in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Russia.
The Trade and Development agency gives grants for feasibility studies on business and infrastructure projects in developing nations around the world. Agency Director Joseph Grandmaison says "transportation represents one of the best sectors for trade and investment" in former Soviet states.