Moscow authorities have extended the “My Street” urban renewal program to 2020, with construction work ending two years later than planned.
City Hall's ambitious plan to overhaul the capital, described as “the biggest renovation program in Moscow’s modern history,” was initially meant to be completed in 2018 — in time for mayoral elections and the World Cup 2018.
Originally, the program for urban improvements in Moscow was budgeted for 130 billion rubles ($2 billion) but costs have ballooned.
The RBC outlet calculates that Moscow will allocate another 94.5 billion rubles ($1.63 billion) to the program between 2018 and 2020, adding to 92.9 billion rubles ($1.6 billion) spent since 2015. Total expenditures are expected to reach 200 billion rubles ($3.5 billion), the RBC outlet reports, using data from the city’s budget.
In the first years of the program, more than 100 streets were repaired and 80 more were slated for 2017. Most of the construction work took place in the center of Moscow.
The renewal program has been criticized for the discomfort it has brought residents. Critics of the program have also pointed to sloppy construction work and some describing it as part of a scheme to siphon off money to construction companies with ties to City Hall.
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