Plans are being set out for an important new highway link in the CIS. This new link will connect the M-5 and M-7 highways, close to the city of Ufa and the project is expected to cost US$1.12 billion to carry out. The work will require the construction of a tunnel stretch carrying four traffic lanes, as well as two highway sections and an overpass in the city itself. Ufa is the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan, which is part of the CIS. The city is linked to Russia’s capital Moscow by the M-7 highway and to neighbouring Kazakhstan (and its capital Astana) by the M-5 highway. The route is an important one for Russia and its Asian neighbours and carries heavy truck traffic vital to trade.
The final route of the new link has yet to be announced but it will likely include a crossing of the Belaya River. Construction of the new highway section may involve major technical challenges. The area immediately to the south of the city has seen numerous diversions of the course of the river over the centuries, presenting difficult geological conditions for highway and bridge construction. However once the new link is complete, it will speed transport between the M-7 and M-5 highways and will also reduce congestion in Ufa, as through traffic currently has to negotiate the centre of the city.
The final route of the new link has yet to be announced but it will likely include a crossing of the Belaya River. Construction of the new highway section may involve major technical challenges. The area immediately to the south of the city has seen numerous diversions of the course of the river over the centuries, presenting difficult geological conditions for highway and bridge construction. However once the new link is complete, it will speed transport between the M-7 and M-5 highways and will also reduce congestion in Ufa, as through traffic currently has to negotiate the centre of the city.
