The appearance in Russia of roads that are not inferior in quality to world standards, takes the country to a new level. The infamous quality of the road surface or the complete absence of it on the roads of the country has become an occasion for jokes and anecdotes not only among Russians, but also among the peoples of other countries.
The construction of the M-11 Moscow - St. Petersburg highway will change the general opinion about Russian roads. In addition to prestige, it will enable drivers to travel from one capital to another with maximum comfort and speed.
Importance of the M-11 highway
The M-11 highway will be the first highway that meets all the quality and safety criteria of European-level roads. It will also relieve the Leningradskoye Highway as much as possible, despite the fact that 60% of its length will be paid.
Starting just outside Moscow, the M-11 (highway) willlaid according to the following scheme:
- The journey will take 90 km in the Moscow region.
- 253 km of road will be laid in the Tver region.
- In the Novgorod region, the route will take 233 km.
- Leningrad region will get 75 km.
The total length of the highway will be 651 km. The maximum allowed speed when the M-11 (highway) is completed and put into service (2018) will be 150 km/h. During testing of open sections of the road, travel will be free, and after they pass the test, the final fare for each section of the road will be known.
First commissioned road section
The first section of the route from Moscow to St. Petersburg put into operation was the section from 15 to 58 km. It bypasses Leningradskoe shosse past Sheremetyevo airport. The section was put into test operation at the end of 2014, and until July, the M-11 (track) was tested, which means it was free.
In the future, it is planned to charge 100 rubles to Sheremetyevo, and the next leg of the journey will cost almost 300 rubles. The gradual introduction of automatic fare collection should teach drivers, firstly, to pay, and secondly, to take such innovations seriously. Until now, there were no fully paid roads in Russia, so the local population will have to get used to the idea that fast, safe and comfortable driving is not free.
The M-11 highway, the scheme of which is built parallel to the existing M-10 highway, provides for several generalinterchanges of these roads, as well as the introduction of new facilities along the way.
Opening of the highway in the Tver region
Another section put into operation and for testing is located in the Tver region (258-334 km) bypassing the city of Vyshny Volochek.
This part of the route captures 3 districts of the Tver region at once - Torzhok, Spirovo and Vyshny Volochek. The construction of the M-11 highway will bring the traffic flow outside the city streets, which will significantly speed up travel and secure travel around the city.
This section of the track was commissioned ahead of schedule by almost 7 months, but this did not affect the quality of construction. To increase it, the road construction company used only high-quality materials, since there are swampy places outside the city of Vyshny Volochek. To fix the highway, piles were used, and asph alt concrete with special polymer additives was used for the pavement.
Artificial objects on the M-11 highway
The new M-11 highway from Moscow to St. Petersburg provides not only a large number of lanes and high-quality road surface, but also artificial objects necessary for the safety of the road. So, they include flyovers, special congresses, overpasses and even animal passes in those places where animal migration takes place. "Tunnels" for large and small animals run underground, and special treatment facilities will regulate the flow of storm and melt water.
M-11 - the highway, which over time will "acquire" cafes, payment points, gas stations and will become an incentive for economic growth in the places where the highway will pass.
Fare fare
For the first time in Russia, it is planned to build a highway with automatic debiting of money for travel. Money is written off by a transponder connected to the accounting system. Payment depends not only on the class of the vehicle, but also on the number of trips.
The transponder must be attached to the windshield, and it will automatically perform all the necessary "work". It can either be purchased or rented. To connect it, you need to register on the site and activate the device in the "Personal Account" using the assigned individual number. A bank account is attached to it, which can be replenished through fast payment terminals.
This system allows you to drive along the highway without stopping at the toll booths, which saves drivers a lot of time.
Fares
There are no final tariffs for already commissioned sections yet, but their approximate cost from July 2015 is:
- From Moscow to Sheremetyevo - 100 rubles.
- From Moscow to Solnechnogorsk - 300 rubles.
- From the capital to Zelenograd - 175 rubles.
These tariffs apply to cars. The price is affected by the time of day and day of the week. A special system of discounts for frequent users of the track should attract a large flow of cars.
- for 2020% off trips;
- if there are 21 to 30 trips, then the savings will be 50%;
- 31 to 44 trips will save 60% of money;
- 45 to 50 - 70% off.
The estimated fare for the entire route, excluding discounts, will be 1,500 rubles, although prices may change significantly by the end of construction in 2018.
Accident on the new track
Although the M-11 Moscow-Petersburg highway has not been fully commissioned, its open sections allow you to move along them at high speed.
Unfortunately, an accident has already occurred on the new highway, which brought the first victims. This happened in August 2015 near Zelenograd. When a car collided with a truck, two people died on the spot, one was seriously injured, with which he was taken to the hospital.
The accident on the M-11 highway caused a great resonance among motorists. The main topic of discussion was the maximum speed that is allowed on this expressway, and which is quite often exceeded by "reckless drivers". To date, a speed of 130 km / h is indicated for the left lane of the road. Trucks have their own lanes, and if every driver acts responsibly and obeys the rules, there will be no more casu alties on the new highway.
These violations put all drivers at risk, so surveillance cameras for violators are provided on the track. They will record speeding and automatically write off finesfrom the accounts of drivers, which, of course, will cause them dissatisfaction, but will teach them to follow the rules of the road.
Construction stages
The construction of the M-11 highway is being carried out by the Avtodor company, which has all the permits for this. The company's management had to take environmental issues very seriously when drawing up the scheme for the new highway. Part of the path passes through the forests, so the most forgiving plan was chosen, which provides for minimal cutting of trees.
Checking the integrity of the company's actions in relation to the environment was checked by representatives of the Green Party. We should pay tribute to the leadership of Avtodor: at the very first complaints, work was suspended in order to identify violations and correct errors. The ongoing work also includes planting trees to green the track.
The number of travel lanes along the way varies from 10 at the exit from Moscow and 8, 6 and 4 as you move away from the capital.
For the convenience of construction, the entire section of the highway was divided into parts:
- the first was the "piece" of the road from 15 to 58 km;
- construction from km 58 to 149 is yet to be completed;
- from 208 to 258 km the Mostotrest company is engaged in construction, which should hand over its section of the track in 2018;
- 258-334 km of track already in operation;
- Intense work in progress from km 334 to 543;
- 543–684km – the final stretch, will also be completed in 2018.
Gradual introduction tothe operation of both the highway and the paid travel on it will accustom Russian drivers to European road standards.
