Novikov appreciated the contribution of toll roads to the growth of the Russian economy

Investing in the construction of toll roads leads to a powerful multiplier effect. Anton Novikov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Northern Capital Latitudinal Highway LLC, told Izvestia on June 4 at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"According to our assessment, every ruble invested <...> in the toll road in particular brings 3 rubles of GDP growth over the 5-10—year horizon - that is, a powerful multiplier effect. I'm not talking about the fact that infrastructure is always starting to develop around the transport artery. Residential or commercial buildings, logistics hubs, and industry are emerging. And this is, of course, a "circulatory system" in some sense, which allows you to move goods, cargo and passengers," he said.

According to Novikov, taking into account the scale of Russia, annual investments of about 10-13 trillion rubles are needed for optimal infrastructure development.

"That is why, in our opinion, instructions have been very active recently, including from the President of the Russian Federation, on the need to attract extra—budgetary investments," he explained.

Speaking about the introduction of toll roads, Novikov noted that such roads cannot exist without investors. He compared their use to traveling on trains and airplanes, for which it is also necessary to buy a ticket.

"A toll road is the same product that a business implements and provides this opportunity, and obviously you have to pay for it. Or not to use it — according to the law there is always an alternative," Novikov concluded.

On May 11, Vladislav Grib, Deputy Secretary of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, proposed making toll roads free for families with many children. He noted that such a support measure would be especially in demand in areas with large tourist flows. Among them, Grib named the Moscow–St. Petersburg, Moscow-Kazan highways, as well as toll roads leading to the south.