The Moscow administration, led by Sergei Sobyanin, unveiled a plan that would make travel along the Moscow High Speed Diameter (MSD) easier for residents of Moscow and the surrounding region. Initially, travel for locals would be free, but starting on January 1, 2023, a toll would apply to public transport usage. The aim behind this shift is to manage demand, encourage smoother flow through the city, and fund ongoing improvements to the network. By easing early access for residents, authorities hoped to incentivize adoption of the MSD while ensuring a sustainable funding model for maintenance and future upgrades.
Officials argue that the tolls and usage changes will help reduce congestion on older routes and shift some of the transit load away from the central streets. The broader expectation is that the Central Ring Road will continue to serve as a conduit for through-traffic, keeping long-distance journeys out of the densest parts of the city. In practice, this means more predictable travel times for commuters and a more reliable public transport timetable as the MSD gains a larger share of trips that would otherwise use inner-city corridors.
Sobyanin described the MSD as a major arterial project, noting its total length would reach 68 kilometers, stretching from the northern outskirts to the southern limits of Moscow. He highlighted the design as the country’s longest pedestrian-oriented highway, with a significant portion of the route elevated above ground or routed through tunnels and at-grade sections connected by multi-level overpasses. This architecture is intended to separate fast through-traffic from local urban movements, delivering a faster, more comfortable ride for travelers and improved air quality for surrounding neighborhoods.
In public communications over recent years, city planners indicated aggressive construction targets for the MSD and associated links. The plan includes about 91 kilometers of new road work in the capital, incorporating 19 overpasses, bridges, tunnels, and ten off-street pedestrian crossings. The objective remains to push forward with the first phase, which would connect the Businovskaya junction with the Kosinskaya overpass, advancing the project toward its envisioned regional mobility outcomes while coordinating with other major infrastructure initiatives across Moscow and the neighboring regions.