01 February 2005, 23:59
Don federal road blocked up
The situation on the Don federal road, which connects Moscow and Rostov, can be called critical. A 5-kilometer section on the border with Rostov Region is completely blocked up with snow, reported the Caucasian Knot correspondent. The traffic jam of trucks, cars and busses is stretching for many kilometers. Trucks cannot master rises and hold up traffic. Military equipment is working on the road. Drivers are being supplied with food and medicines, announced the regional emergencies commission.
Experts of the Rostov regional ministry of transportation and communication hold that the critical situation on the road is caused mainly by its technical condition. Having been constructed in 1960s, the road does not meet modern requirements. The roadbed, 7-8 meters in width, does not provide necessary carrying capacity. 1-1.5 milliard rubles are needed annually to reconstruct the road, but only one fifth of the money is received. For instance, 207 million rubles are provided for in the federal budget this year. Altogether 8 milliard rubles are needed to reconstruct the section of the Don road lying in Rostov Region.
Author: Vera Voloshinova, CK correspondent
