High-speed highway. Automobile roads of Russia

High-speed highway ... How often this phrase is found! We all roughly understand what it is, but we often do not know what are the high-speed roads, how fast they are allowed to go, and how many autobahns are in Russia. Let's look at the history of motorways, their present and future.

History of appearance

The first expressway appeared at the beginning of the last century in Italy. In 1924, it connected two major cities - Milan and Varese. The length of the road was 85 km. It is interesting that the word "freeway" used by many people came from Italy. By the beginning of the 21st century more than 6,000 kilometers of high-speed roads were built in the country.

Another famous name for the road - "Autobahn" - appeared in Germany. In 1932, the highway connected Cologne and Bonn, its length was only 20 km. An interesting fact: in Germany until 1941, more than 3,500 kilometers of high-speed roads were built. By today, the country has more than 13,000 kilometers of road surface.

To date, the expressway is the most used type of road in the world. The leading place in the construction of such trails is occupied by China. Their length to the beginning of 2015 was almost 112,000 km.

In Russia, the construction of high-speed roads has been counting since the times of the USSR. Unfortunately, it is not possible to calculate the number of constructed highways. Basically, the high-speed highway in Russia is separate sections of paved roads.

Traffic conditions

Which route is considered high-speed in Russia? The motorway is a road with a certain traffic sign, which has several lanes for traffic in both directions, separated by a special fence or dividing strip. This road does not intersect with others on the same level (any intersections are possible only on the bridge or underpass).

On the high-speed road, pedestrians, animals and any types of transport are prohibited, the speed of which does not exceed 40 km / h. These include bicycles, mopeds, tractors and any other self-propelled vehicles. Also, it is not allowed to stop public transport, and for cars and trucks it is forbidden to stop in places not intended for parking.

It is forbidden to make a turn and enter the breaks of the dividing strip, inadvertent reverse movement and training driving. So, going to the highway, be careful and do not break the rules.

Motorways of the Russian Federation

The main routes in Russia begin in Moscow. This indicates that most of the roads were built during the times of the Russian Empire and refurbished to modern requirements. The density of their network in the European part of the country is the highest. The main roads are radiated from Moscow. The farther to the north, the less developed is the network of highways. In the Far East and Siberian Federal Districts, many roads are not connected to major highways. With individual cities, the message is only possible in the summer, and even then by air.

The Russian roads have a total length of 1,396,000 km, and hard-surface roads - 984,000 km. In accordance with the law on the classification of roads, they have different categories and are objects of ownership not only of the state, but also can be in the office of the subjects of the Russian Federation, as well as private individuals. These include federal, regional and municipal, local routes. There are also private highways.

Trails of federal significance

Automobile roads of federal importance have a solid canvas and can be high-speed. Their list is approved by the Government of Russia, they are state property. These roads have a certain numbering with a leading letter. Which of them are federal?

First, these are all the roads connecting the Russian capital - Moscow - with the capitals of neighboring countries, as well as with the administrative centers of the subjects of the Russian Federation. These routes have the prefix "M", they include:

- M1 "Belarus" - "Minsk highway" - connecting Moscow and bordering with Russia Belarus.

- M2 "Crimea" - which united the European route E105 with Moscow, Tula and Kharkov.

- M5 "Ural" - having the largest length of 1,897 km and connecting Moscow with Chelyabinsk.

Secondly, these are roads that connect individual administrative centers. They have the prefix "P":

- Р22 "Kaspiy" is one of the longest regional roads, with a length of 1,381 km. It is a component of the European route E119, which passes through Moscow, Tambov, Volgograd and Astrakhan.

- Р504 "Kolyma" - the length is more than 2000 km. It is the key highway of the Far East. Passes from Yakutsk to Magadan.

Thirdly, there are access roads and connecting ways that can connect cities with sea or river ports, airports or railway stations, as well as with other transport hubs. All of them are designated by the prefix "A".

Since January 1, 2018, a new list of federal roads of Russia has come into force . There will be no separation of routes into trunk lines and others. Changes were also made to the numbering and names of roads. In the near future, the speed on the highway will be at least 130 km / h.

The road "Moscow - Noginsk"

The distance from Moscow to Noginsk is only 58 km. This way to date passes along the M7 "Volga" highway, stretching from Moscow through Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, and ending in Ufa. The road is of federal importance. It can not boast of a large capacity, now it can pass from 3 to 7 thousand cars a day. Because of this, there are often traffic jams and congestion at the entrance to Moscow.

In view of the increasing traffic, the government decided to put into operation a new high-speed Moscow-Noginsk highway. This road will become an alternative to the M7 and will be paid.

Paid backbones have become very popular in developed countries, now it's turn to Russia. The project was launched in 2014, the final commissioning is planned in 2017. It is this road that will help to unload the main thoroughfares and will allow the inhabitants of Noginsk to get to the capital in 20-30 minutes. This will be a great help for people working in Moscow.

The toll road "Moscow - Noginsk" will have a capacity of 30,000 cars per day. Having up to 6 lanes in one direction and a speed of 120 km / h, the highway will help to minimize the time for the trip and maximize the comfortable conditions for drivers. The cost of travel on such a road is still unknown - either it will be fixed, or will depend on mileage. At the moment, due to low financing, the high-speed road is only partially built.

The route "Moscow - St. Petersburg"

At the moment, St. Petersburg and Moscow are connected by the federal highway M10 E105 "Russia", commissioned in the XIX century. The connection of the two capitals was planned by Peter I and carried out his project, which became an understudy of the water communication system. Today the length of the road is 706 km. Due to the small carrying capacity and low speed of movement along this route, congestion often occurs. A day on the road rides to 130-170 thousand cars, and the speed of traffic when approaching Moscow is up to 10 km / h. In view of this, several years ago a project for the construction of the Moscow-St. Petersburg Expressway M11 appeared.

The road "Moscow - St. Petersburg" will be partially paid. Its length will be 684 km, and it will actually replace the existing M10 route today. The mainline is planned to be put into operation in 2018. To date, several sites have been built: from 15 to 58 km from Moscow to Solnechnogorsk and from 258 to 334 km - bypassing Vyshny Volochok in the Tver region.

When creating a highway speedway, climatic conditions will have to be taken into account. The four areas along which the route runs have a different climate: Moscow and Tver are moderately continental, and Novgorod and Leningrad are transitional continental-marine. All sharp changes in temperature can have a bad effect on the road surface and, as a result, disable the resources expended. Therefore, it is very important to approach the choice of flooring. From this directly depends the future of the track.

The high-speed Moscow-St. Petersburg highway will have from 2 to 5 lanes to each side and a speed of 150 km / h. This will significantly shorten the time between cities and improve the conditions for drivers. The estimated cost of travel on this highway will be about 1200 rubles. Everything will depend on the time of day and a certain section of the route. Thus, the road "Moscow - St. Petersburg" will become the second toll highway in Russia. It should be clarified that about 60% of the road under construction will be paid for, while the current free highway M10 can be used.

"Moscow - Beijing" - look to the future

The dream of tie the West and the East has always flashed in the hearts of enterprising people. To date, the construction of a high-speed highway connecting Moscow and Beijing has become possible. In 2014, a memorandum was signed between Russia and China on the construction of the high-speed Moscow-Beijing highway.

Today the train connecting the two countries is on the road for 130 hours - this is 6 days. When implementing the project, it will be possible to get from Beijing to Moscow in two days, overcoming the distance of 7 thousand kilometers at a speed of 350 km / h. Cooperation with the Chinese Railway will bring stable economic development of both China and Russia, and will also serve as a good link between Europe and Asia.

In addition, the road "Moscow - Beijing" will contribute to the development of the Urals Federal District. He will connect the stations in such cities as Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, and further - Astana (Kazakhstan), Urumqi and Beijing. The main and paramount task is to connect the high-speed highway of Moscow and Kazan. To this end, China will provide its technology and invest $ 10 billion. It is planned to complete the project by 2030.

"Moscow - Kazan" - new speeds

High-speed highway "Moscow - Kazan" will give an opportunity to reduce the time spent on the road up to 3.5 hours. Further its extension to Yekaterinburg will cover the distance of 1595 km in 8 hours. It is planned to move up to 400 km / h along the high-speed train route. Accelerated regional trains will follow at distances of up to 200 km at a speed of 200 km / h.

It is planned to use the accelerated night long-haul trains, as well as freight and container transportation. Velocity indicators will be 160 km / h. Completion of the railway line "Moscow - Kazan" is planned in 2018. What will its construction give? First of all, it will provide jobs for the population. Experts argue that the construction of a road in the Urals will help revitalize the entire industrial complex. One kilometer of the railroad track will require about 16,000 cubic meters of good gravel, about 15,000 tons of high quality concrete structures, 125 tons of metal structures and 25 tons of rail cloth. The acquisition of these materials from abroad will require a considerable amount of money, which will increase the cost of the project, which means that it is necessary to improve the production technologies and improve their quality on the spot. Local enterprises can cope with this task and provide for a long time the work of the population.

"Moscow - Don"

The federal highway "Moscow - Don" M4, named so at the end of the last century, was built in 1967. At that time the route ran from the capital through Voronezh to Rostov-on-Don and had two lanes of traffic 7 meters wide. In the beginning of 1991 the route was extended by 500 km, and its final destination was Novorossiysk. So due to the joining of different sections, a modern road M4 "Don" appeared. It is interesting that it became the first highway with a paid section of the road, which went around the village of Khlevnoe and had a length of 20 km.

Today, the Moscow-Don highway is the best in Russia. Its only drawback is that in the summer it is crowded with cars both in one direction and in the other direction. Many people from Moscow and the suburbs go with their families to rest to the sea. The route leads to the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, the Rostov Region and the Crimea. Back at the same time, a lot of vegetables and fruits are being brought from southern regions of Russia to Moscow, St. Petersburg and the northern regions of the country.

In winter, on certain sections of the road, especially in the Krasnodar Territory, where the route passes through mountain ranges, snowdrifts and heavy ice are possible. Bad weather can block traffic on the highway for a few days. So, the element in 2009 stopped the movement of all vehicles on an unrepaired road in the Rostov region for several days.

Another problem is the frequent traffic jams at the checkpoints in the Moscow region, as it takes some time to pay for paid parts.

On the highway there are a lot of paid sites, and this gives a huge advantage over free roads. Firstly, the high-speed mode of the M4 highway in certain sections is 130 km / h, and for the most part - 110 km / h. Secondly, at this speed, the presence of an excellent roadway is required practically along the whole length of the road, and it is there. Thirdly, on the paid sites, a service for drivers was introduced - emergency assistance. An excellent idea - a video with the inscription SOS every 1.5 km. If there has been a breakdown or gasoline has run out, just get to the yellow box, and you will definitely be helped in the near future.

High-speed railways

High-speed railroads have their history in the past century. Even under the USSR, there were plans to create high-speed trains, for example a car - a prototype of a jet train. His tests took place in the 1970s. Further, a special high-speed road project was developed, which was supposed to connect Moscow with Kharkov and Lozovaya with branches to Simferopol and Rostov-on-Don. The speed of this road was 250 km / h.

Unfortunately, the collapse of the Soviet Union led to an economic crisis, and all plans remained in the distant past. The development of the high-speed train "Sokol-250" led to its testing in 2000, but because of the shortcomings found by the commission, it was never put into operation. In addition, the cost of creating its own high-speed rolling stock exceeded the permissible standards, and it was cheaper to purchase trains already in Europe that had passed the tests.

In 2006, an agreement was signed between Russian Railways and the German company Siemens for the supply of 8 high-speed trains capable of speeds of up to 330 km / h. The first train was delivered in 2008 and went on a flight on the route "Moscow - St. Petersburg". The high-speed Moscow-Petersburg highway received reliable trains that cover the distance between these cities in 3 hours and 45 minutes.

The next high-speed train appeared on the route "Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod". The journey time was 3 hours 55 minutes. This route is open for passengers from the middle of 2010. By the end of 2010, the high-speed message of international importance "St. Petersburg - Helsinki" became available.

Backbone of the capital

Moscow, like any metropolis, is flooded with motor vehicles. Most residents of remote places go to work or to the city for shopping or entertainment on their own vehicles. But, unfortunately, the infrastructure does not allow constantly expanding roads. To solve this problem, Moscow decided to build high-speed highways. Until the beginning of the XXI century the concept of "high-speed roads", and especially in the metropolitan area, did not exist at all. The development of new projects will relieve from transport 60% of the central streets of the city.

One of the requirements: the high-speed lines of Moscow must go far from the residential area and have a high speed of traffic. To solve these problems, it was decided to minimize the number of exits from the track, and none of them leads to any shopping center. It was this move that made it possible to increase the speed of traffic along the highway to 100 km / h.

To date, it is known about the project of three such highways: North-Eastern, Southern and North-Western. All roads will have a connection with the Moscow Ring Road and connect with each other. These highways (or chords), according to the authorities, should replace the Fourth Ring Road. For these purposes, it is planned to connect the North-Western and North-Eastern rings in the area of the Festivalnaya Street, and the Southern Chord will cross the North-West in the Krylatskiy area. Thanks to this connection, drivers will be able to travel from one end of the city to the other without entering the center.

Throughout the world, the transport problems of large cities are being addressed at the expense of highways. High-speed tracks go to detour, on the outskirts of the city, and allow to leave the center of the metropolis free from excess traffic with the help of raised bridge interchanges. Under the project in Moscow it is planned that chords should not interfere, while at the same time serving public transport. This means that for the intersection of residential arrays, these roads must either be raised above the main part of the highway, or pass under the ground.

Speed mode on the road, too, does not yet have the final figures. Experts did not reach a consensus on this. What speed is acceptable on a high-speed highway in the city? Some consider it to be no more than 80 km / h, while others say that if safety is increased, the speed can be increased to 100 km / h. Now, as is known, such standards for cities have been adopted: the speed can not exceed 60 km / h.

In Russia to date, many projects have been launched to build high-speed highways - both highway and rail. This indicates the development of the economy and will contribute to the well-being of the state as a whole.