VINCI Concessions has opened the final section (section eight) of the Moscow-St Petersburg (M11) motorway in Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, VINCI board of directors vice-chairman Yves-Thibault de Silguy and VINCI Concessions CEO Nicolas Notebaert attended the ceremony.

Section eight consists of a 34km highway corridor connecting Tosno in the Leningrad Region with the Saint Petersburg ring road.

Opened in September, the 103km-long section seven connects Velikiy Novgorod and Tosno.

VINCI Concessions (40% of the concession company) and its partners were responsible for the design, funding and delivery of the two sections. The companies will operate both sections until 2041.

The agreement was signed with Russia motorways operator Avtodor under an availability payment public-private partnership (PPP).

The project entailed an investment of €1.6bn, which includes €800m in public capital support.

Sections seven and eight combine 62 bridges and overpasses, 12 service areas and four toll stations collectively.

The Moscow-St Petersburg M11 project is a 669km-long toll motorway that is expected to ease traffic.

Compared with the M10, the M11 reduces the travel time between the cities from nine hours to nearly five and a half.

VINCI Concessions holds the concession for section one of the M11. The section connects the Moscow ring road with Sheremetyevo Airport and was opened in 2014.

VINCI Concessions CEO Nicolas Notebaert said: “We are very proud to be partners of a project on this scale. This new motorway between Moscow and Saint Petersburg will help to very significantly improve mobility in Russia.

“We will continue to build on our experience and our positive track record in Russia to provide Russian motorists with outstanding service focused on performance and safety.”