Russian road safety boost – improved infrastructure

Russia is looking to boost road safety through a combination of upgrades to existing infrastructure and revised standards. The aim is to cut crashes through targeting known hotspots for incidents. The programme will also tackle congestion in key areas. Data is being collated on the sections of road suffering the highst numbers of crashes and most serious congestion, so that these sections can be prioritised for improvements. The Safe and High-Quality Roads national project has received the approval of Russia’s Presidium of the Council for Strategic Development. In addition the programme includes plans to update the technical requirements and the standards for infrastructure development. Road repairs will represent the bulk of the works according to the Ministry of Transport. The Russian Federal budget is contributing over US$22 billion for the work, with local authorities also supplying funds for projects in their respective areas.