Due to a heavy snowstorm in the Rostov region, 75 kilometers of the M-4 Don highway was closed to traffic. This was announced by the district traffic police on the evening of March 30.
“In order to eliminate the effects of snowfall, two-way traffic between 907 and 983 kilometers of the M-4 Don highway was temporarily stopped from 20:00 until a special order,” the report said.
The highway was blocked in two municipal districts – Kamensky and Krasnosulinsky – almost until the Krasny Sulin turn from Kamensk-Shakhtinsky.
The traffic police of the Rostov region strongly recommended that drivers refrain from traveling on federal and regional roads until weather conditions improve. To ensure traffic safety and provide assistance to drivers in need, the staff of the department was transferred to an advanced mode of service.
On the night of March 30, sleet with rain in the Rostov region turned into snow, and then a snowstorm began. The bad weather continues to this day. Because of this, traffic jams were created for kilometers on the M-4 Don, and heavy truck traffic was restricted in various sections.
In the north of the Rostov region – only in the Kamensk-Shakhtinsky district – a traffic jam for more than 50 km was formed. Eyewitnesses reported that they had been waiting there for several hours.
After the traffic police announced that the highway was closed, Governor Vasily Golubev announced that a state of emergency was declared in four districts of the municipalities.
“In connection with the current situation, I have decided to impose a state of emergency in the districts of Shakhty, Belokalitvinsky, Kamensky, Krasnosulinsky and Oktyabrsky,” the head of the district said on the Telegram channel.
He reported that before that, the heating points were deployed in three sections of the M-4 Don – at kilometers 925, 960 and 969, as well as at kilometer 362 of the A-260 highway. Two more operate in Krasny Sulin and in the Kamensk region. Golubev noted that all regional and municipal services were mobilized, heavy equipment was thrown to clear the highway. In order to allow the traffic to open in at least one of the lanes of the route and to ensure the return of those stuck in the traffic, the separator railings are partially dismantled.
The press service of the North Caucasus Railways also reported that five trains to Rostov-on-Don were delayed due to heavy snowfall.
“Passenger trains No. 310 Adler-Vorkuta, No. 165 Simferopol-Moscow, no. 360 Kaliningrad-Adler, No. 304 Moscow-Imeretinsky Kurort, No. 8th St. Trains stopped on the way between Likhaya and Kamenskaya stations.
In addition, 35 thousand people in eight districts and three cities in the Rostov region were left without electricity due to strong winds and snowfall.
“The electricity industry is on high alert. 343 brigades throughout the region participated in the operational rescue work, these are 1244 people and 640 pieces of equipment. Emergency rescue operations are carried out around the clock. Every hour I receive a report that the accident has been eliminated, ”said Golubev.
He also said that the situation on the M-4 was complicated by several accidents at the same time, which made it difficult to clear the congestion. The regional head noted that the forecast from weather forecasters for the next few hours was unfavorable.