In the suburbs there are many interesting places. Many of them can be seen going on a journey such as the Minsk highway. This track has been around for quite some time and is very popular because it is well-maintained. The highway runs through incredibly beautiful places, here you can see truly breathtaking landscapes. Almost along its entire length, the road is well repaired, which allows you to comfortably reach it to the necessary points.
Minsk highway: a little about the road
So, it’s worth telling more about this route. It also has another name - M-1 "Belarus". The highway passes through the Moscow and Smolensk regions. It reaches the border with the Republic of Belarus. Many are interested in how long the road is. This highway really has a considerable length - about 440 kilometers. According to many reports, soon, in 2018, most of the highway will become paid.
For what purposes was the highway built?
Now it’s worth talking about the history of this highway. Sometimes you can hear that this object has no special history, since the road is relatively young, it was built in the 30s of the XX century. This is not entirely true, since even during such a period of time many interesting and important historical events have happened here. In addition, in this direction in the Moscow region there are a huge number of cultural and historical monuments.
Initially, there was no task to lay exactly the Minsk highway. They decided to build it only after a series of actions were carried out to change the existing Mozhaisk highway. It was considered uncomfortable, because it ran through many settlements. Because of this, throughput and speed were significantly reduced. Previously, the Mozhaisk highway was called the Smolensk road. It was actively exploited during the war of 1812 and in World War II. It was in this direction that the main battles took place.
However, in peacetime, the Smolensk road was no longer enough for full-fledged traffic. In this regard, the authorities decided to build a new highway, which would be absolutely direct.
Highway construction
So, the reasons for the construction of this road were examined in detail. Highways, as already mentioned, began to be laid in the 30s of the 20th century. This direction has always been actively used by summer residents. Land on the Minsk highway has always been popular, there are many old villages and garden associations. The road was built by the prisoners of the Gulag. We completed this global construction almost immediately before the war, in 1941. During the Great Patriotic War, the new highway was of crucial strategic importance. Then the highway consisted of pavers and had 2 lanes, one in each direction. On some parts of the road closer to Moscow, there were sections covered with cement concrete. It is curious that the supports of bridges across rivers and ravines were then still made of wood. At that time, there was already a lack of funds, which, of course, affected the construction of the road. However, even despite this, she was recognized as one of the best highways of the country.
After the war, the road was naturally in poor condition. Traces of shells remained on it, it was badly broken by tank tracks and other military equipment. The restoration of the highway took many years, it was already completed in 1980.
Road route
Of course, it is worth talking separately about the route along which the route passes. This road begins with the important intersection of the Moscow Ring Road - Minsk highway. Then the highway passes in the suburbs, near the cities of Odintsovo, Kubinka and Mozhaisk. Further, the Minsk highway goes through the territory of the Smolensk region, also passes near a number of cities, such as Gagarin, Vyazma, etc. The road goes to the border of Russia with the Republic of Belarus.
However, the motorway does not end there, it has a continuation in the form of a Belarusian highway called M1. If you look at its continuation to the east, it will be the federal highway M5 "Ural".
What sights can you see on the Minsk highway?
So, it has already been said above that in its short time of existence, the road has already managed to take part in the war. That is why during the highway you can often see monuments dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. For example, at 72 km of the Minsk highway there is a monument to military road workers, at 86 km of the highway - a monument to Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya - the heroine of the Great Patriotic War. At 187 km of the highway you can see a monument dedicated to the Patriotic War of 1812. Also in this direction there are many picturesque places, so the sections along the Minsk highway have always been very popular. Also, by modern standards, this is one of the cleanest, from the point of view of ecology, directions.
Going on a trip along the Minsk highway, you can also visit many interesting cities, such as Vyazma or Smolensk. Vyazma has long been known for unusually beautiful architecture. Smolensk is a large city that also has a rich and ancient history.
The current state of the road
Thus, a large amount of information was examined on how and for what purpose the Minsk highway appeared. Moscow is a kind of center in which many highways intersect. Many of them are currently under reconstruction.
Now it’s worth considering what the Minsk highway looks like. Throughout its length, the road has 4 lanes, 2 lanes in each direction. In some areas in the Smolensk region there is a dividing strip in the middle of the highway. The separator (in the form of a chipper) is also present on the segment from the Moscow Ring Road to 20 kilometers.