The government wants 450km of highways to be built in the private partnership system (PPP). Works should start next year and end in 2011. However, construction companies, and the General Directorate for National Roads and Highways (GDDKiA) cannot reach agreement as how to settle the investments. GDDKiA wants that the fees paid by drivers using highways go to the construction companies which will manage the roads. Before, the officials and the company will agree what return on investment is expected. In case it is lower (due to lower traffic), the budget will cover the difference.
The companies, however, want the fees to go to the budget. They want to receive a settled amount of money for running the highways.
“In this model, the state bears the risk that the traffic is too small but on the other hand it is the state who sets the fees. We are analyzing how this system may influence the budget”, Janusz Koper GDDKiA head said.
The companies believe that what the state agency proposes is more expensive.
“We have presented the model to the banks. They say they don’t know it because it hasn’t been applied nowhere in the world. They need several months to analyze potential risk which may delay the project”, said Robert Nowak, deputy CEO of Autostrada Wielkopolska which is to build and exploit A2 highway from Nowy Tomysl to Swiecko.
In his opinion, banks will increase the costs of
credits due to higher risk. If the costs grow by 1 percentage point per annum,
while construction works cost EUR 7bn, the costs of 20 years of credits may
increase by EUR 1.4bn. In result, the companies will demand higher fees from the
drivers or higher payment from the state.