The Flood Protection Barrier consists of a number of dam sections (sand fill, rock armour), water sluices (outflow from the river Neva) and navigation openings (concrete and steel structures) with an overall length of 25 km. The road works (incl. bridges, tunnel) form part of the ring road around St Petersburg.

The construction works for the Barrier started in 1979, but was suspended in 1987 as a result of concerns about the environmental impacts of the barrier. In 1990 an international commission concluded that the impact of the completed barrier on the environment would be broadly neutral and recommended prompt completion. However, financial constraints impeded full-scale progress. Notwithstanding that, between 1979 and 1995 some 70% of the barrier civil works were completed.

In 2002, the EBRD funded a feasibility study resulting in a $240 million EBRD loan to the Government of Russia for completing the barrier. The works were restarted in 2004 and the barrier was officially opened in October 2008. Royal Haskoning, involved since 2001, is advising the Russian government on a broad range of hydraulic, technical and contractual aspects. Expectations are that this project will still take some years to complete.