Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Marat Khusnullin indicated that Russian authorities intend to engage with China and Kazakhstan to discuss extending the M-12 highway to Russia’s international borders, coordinating this extension with neighboring road plans. The remarks were shared with DEA News during the international economic forum titled “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum.”
The discussion centers on the timeline for construction and the number of lanes on the highway, with an emphasis on capacity and border access.
Khusnullin explained that if a four-lane corridor is built to the frontier while the adjacent stretch on the opposing side remains two lanes, the overall route capacity would effectively be limited to two lanes. He noted that Russia has already reached an agreement with Turkmenistan to expand its section to four lanes, which would then connect with the Kazakh side. He also mentioned that the Russian side aims to bypass Astrakhan and extend the four-lane configuration from this point toward the Kazakhstan border.
In April, it was stated that traffic along the M-12 corridor from Moscow to Kazan could potentially begin moving through in late 2023. The plan to extend the M-12 Eastward corridor toward Yekaterinburg was scheduled for 2024, though the current status of those timelines was not detailed in the remarks.