The Russian government is moving ahead with plans to construct new road crossings to connect cities in the recently integrated regions, including Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, as well as parts of Zaporozhye and Kherson. The goal is to facilitate traffic streams that head toward Crimea. This update came from a briefing on state television, attributed to a senior official from the government, identified as Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, during a broadcast on the Russia 24 channel.
According to the official, the route to Crimea will undergo modernization that includes widening certain segments to four lanes where conditions permit. The emphasis is on improving capacity and safety for long-distance carriers and passenger traffic alike as the corridor is expanded to absorb growing transit volumes.
During the same discussion, Khusnullin outlined additional measures aimed at reducing the footprint of this transit corridor through population centers. He indicated that future plans include bypassing cities to minimize the impact of through traffic on urban areas, with the objective of redirecting freight away from densely populated zones. This approach is described as a step to streamline the transit route while protecting local communities from disruption.
The deputy prime minister noted that a broader objective is to diminish reliance on the corridor that passes through Mariupol, signaling potential changes to existing transit patterns in the region. The statement points to ongoing negotiations and strategic planning intended to reallocate routes in ways that can better accommodate growing demand for cross-regional movement while reducing traffic concentrations in specific areas.
Earlier remarks from President Vladimir Putin highlighted progress in road development across the newer parts of Russia. At a recent ceremony inaugurating the M-12 Vostok highway, officials acknowledged the completion of substantial paving work and the expansion of the nation’s road network as part of a broader modernization agenda. Observers note that the highway project, which extends toward Kazan, underscores the government’s emphasis on improving interstate connectivity and regional accessibility. (Source attribution: official briefings and public broadcasts)