The road to the sea rests on the tunnels

Avtodor State Corporation and the Russian government are looking for 1.5 trillion rubles. for the construction of the Dzhubga-Sochi toll road. Funds in the amount of 74 billion rubles. So far, there is only the first stage of the project – the Adler bypass, the construction of which the authorities promise to begin before the end of the year. For the rest of the sections, Avtodor proposes to use both budgetary and non-budgetary sources, but the White House still has to agree on the funding structure. It has not yet been decided how the route will go – through Dzhubga or Goryachiy Klyuch.

Now Sochi and Dzhubga (a resort town in the Tuapse district), we recall, are connected by the overloaded A-147 road, which passes through many settlements. The project of an alternative route, which will seriously reduce travel time for motorists (from seven to two hours from Goryachiy Klyuch to Sochi), has been discussed for more than five years, in 2022 the Avtodor state company was preparing a feasibility study for the project.

At the moment, a preliminary routing is ready and an “assessment of the cost of capital costs” has been made, Igor Koval, First Deputy Head of Avtodor, said yesterday, speaking at the Road Initiatives Forum in Sochi. The route will cost about 1.5 trillion rubles, he said, but this is a preliminary estimate before the appearance of design estimates. Recall that in 2018 the A-147 reconstruction project was estimated at 1.2 trillion rubles, in 2020 – at 1.4 trillion rubles.

The budget so far provides for 74 billion rubles. to bypass Adler (Kudepsta-Vysokoye) with a length of 7.8 km. It is one of the eight stages of the new highway. In the near future, Igor Koval said, design and survey work will start, and preparation of the territory will begin before the end of the year. In 2026, Avtodor promises to build a bypass around Adler. It should be noted that in January, the head of Avtodor, Vyacheslav Petushenko, announced plans to build the entire highway by 2027–2028.

The fate of the remaining stages has not been fully determined. First of all, Mr. Petushenko said, the question remains where the construction will begin – from Goryachiy Klyuch or from Dzhubga. In the first case, the route will be 21.6 km longer (153.5 km versus 131.9 km), fewer tunnels will need to be built, but more bridges. The decision will depend on the plans for the socio-economic development of the entire Black Sea coast, Mr. Petushenko clarified. During the design, the possibility of linking the transport corridor with Arkhyz and Mineralnye Vody through Krasnaya Polyana will be studied, added Grigory Volkov, deputy director of the construction department of the Russian government. This option has been worked out since 2022 on behalf of Vladimir Putin.

There is no final decision on funding sources yet. “All the technical parameters are clear, now we are putting together a financial scheme in order to at least gradually enter the project,” said Mr. Volkov. Igor Koval said that various scenarios are being considered, but most likely federal money and money from extrabudgetary sources will be needed. On this issue, Avtodor is already working with the Dom.RF bank, through which it plans to receive concessional financing. Mr. Koval made it clear that the future road is attractive to investors: it will take up to 50% of the traffic from the existing A-147. In addition, he noted that four of the eight sections of the route (bypasses of Tuapse, Lazarevsky, Sochi and Adler) can be built and launched as separate projects. “We are at the stage to submit proposals to the government,” summed up Igor Koval.

Most of the experts who spoke during the forum supported the route project, drawing attention to possible risks. The deputy head of the traffic police, Oleg Ponaryin, in particular, insists on installing speed control systems on the highway (Avtodor said that it will be possible to drive at a speed of 100 km / h). “It is necessary to provide the consumer with road safety,” he said. “Intelligent transport systems, including, among other things, speed control tools, should be included in the project.” Oleg Ponaryin also recalled that, according to statistics, 40% of fatal accidents occur at night, so the new route should be illuminated. It is also necessary to foresee “service facilities” and recreation areas in advance, said the deputy head of the State traffic inspectorate, although in mountainous conditions this can lead to a rise in the cost of the route. He also urged to think in advance about where traffic from the highway will come: “Here we will make a high-speed road, but where does it rest? To Adler? With its limited bandwidth and no parking spaces?”

The director of the design department of the SSCC (Chinese state road corporation, Avtodor is studying its experience) Gao Yichen drew attention to construction risks: experience suggests that at the design stage it is impossible to 100% predict the geological features of the area, especially when the road and tunnels pass through the mountains . “The ability to respond to such spontaneous force majeure is also important,” he said.

Ivan Buranov