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Moscow's Ring Road Renovations to Cost $200 Million

Moscow's Garden Ring Strober / Wikicommons

Bad news for Muscovites tired of mass construction projects: City officials have allotted nearly $200 million for the reconstruction of Moscow's Garden Ring road in 2017, the Interfax news agency has reported.

The scheduled works include paving the sidewalks with granite, installing drainage infrastructure, replacing manholes and rain gutter covers and adding benches, trash cans, trees, and lawns, according to state purchases website. The city also plans to relay phone lines and install additional lighting along the Garden Ring.

The entire project is estimated to cost 11.58 billion rubles ($199.1 million).

The Garden Ring renovations will undoubtedly prove a major headache for commuters. The eight-lane road is a critical route around Moscow, one of the most traffic-congested cities on Earth.

Throughout 2016, the city dug up and renovated much of another central street, Novy Arbat. The constantly changing maze of pedestrian walkways through the construction site, the loud noise, and the clouds of dust proved a major annoyance to commuters and people living and working in the area.

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