In a significant leap, Primorye outranks over 50 other regions in terms of road condition.
In the vast and diverse landscape of Russia's Far Eastern Federal District (FEFD), infrastructure development, particularly road quality improvements, has been a focal point. Despite significant strides, the region's road density and quality still trail behind the national average.
The FEFD has shown remarkable progress in infrastructure growth, with a 19.3% increase in construction volume in 2023, reaching ₽1.44 trillion. This surge supports transport accessibility in the region, but it also reflects the relatively underdeveloped infrastructure base compared to the rest of Russia [3].
One of the key areas of focus has been the improvement of major highways. The A360 Lena Highway, a significant federal highway in the Sakha Republic within the FEFD, has undergone active reconstruction since 2010. Federal programs aim to upgrade most of its length to modern asphalt concrete standards by 2018-2022, significantly improving road quality in this key corridor [1].
The Russian government has also launched extensive master plans for urban development and infrastructure across 25 Far Eastern cities involving 875 projects worth 4.4 trillion rubles. These plans include significant investments in road repairs and engineering infrastructure to improve living conditions and attract population to the region [2].
However, the geography and vastness of the Far Eastern regions pose challenges to achieving nationwide average road density and quality levels quickly. The strategic focus on improving key highways and urban road networks continues, but rural and remote road connectivity generally remains more limited compared to more central Russian federal districts.
Primorsky Krai, a FEFD region, ranks 27th in Russia's nationwide road quality rating. Despite a high percentage of quality roads, its road network density is only 13.2 kilometers per 1,000 sq. kilometers, lower than its neighbouring Amur Oblast. Primorye leads in the density of paved roads, with 93.7 kilometers per 1,000 square kilometers, but other FEFD subjects follow Primorsky Krai in road quality rankings, albeit their exact positions and scores are not specified.
In contrast, the lowest road quality and density in the Far East are found in the Magadan Oblast and the Amur Oblast. Only 37.4% of roads in Magadan Oblast meet standards, with a paved road density of just 5.4 kilometers per 1,000 sq. kilometers. In the Amur Oblast, the share of quality roads is even lower at 33.9%, with a density of 37 km/1,000 sq. kilometers.
Chelyabinsk Oblast and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra, however, have road quality scores above 84% and nearly 90% respectively by the end of 2024. The Khabarovsk Krai has the highest road quality within the FEFD, with over 70% of roads meeting standards.
In the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the share of normative roads is 65.7%, higher than in Primorye, but the road network density is 1.3 kilometers/1,000 sq. kilometers.
Moscow topped the road quality rankings, with all roads meeting standards by the end of 2024.
In conclusion, while the Far Eastern Federal District is benefiting from accelerated infrastructure investment and programs successfully improving major highway quality and urban road infrastructure, its road density and overall quality still tend to be lower than Russia's nationwide average due to geographic and economic challenges. However, ongoing projects and regional master plans suggest a sustained narrowing of this gap in coming years.
In the region's accelerated infrastructure development, significant investments have been made towards improving the quality of major highways, such as the A360 Lena Highway, and urban road networks, as part of extensive urban development master plans (finance). With the Russian government's focus on rural development and road repairs, as shown in the 875 projects worth 4.4 trillion rubles plans for 25 Far Eastern cities, there is potential for transportation improvements in underdeveloped areas (transportation). Despite these efforts, the region's road density and quality currently lag behind the national average, demonstrating the ongoing challenges in achieving nationwide parity (industry).
