Perhaps, there is no other state in the world where the communication lines between cities and regions would be of the same paramount importance as in Russia. Only roads combine grandiose geographical spaces into a single country. And the numbers of the tracks on the map are familiar and understandable not only to truckers.
From Western Siberia to Eastern
The M53 federal highway , referred to as Siberia for short, passes through the Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Kemerovo regions and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. It ends in the Irkutsk region. In some sources, this road is designated by the code word "Baikal", which is fundamentally wrong - the world's largest freshwater lake is located east of Irkutsk, in which it ends. This designation can be considered correct only for the entire historical path from the Urals to Lake Baikal. And the M53-route is only part of this route. And it has a completely official designation - "Siberia". The cities through which the M53 route passes are among the largest historical, industrial and cultural centers of Siberia. The total length of this road is 1860 kilometers. When moving from west to east of the country, the M53-highway is a direct continuation of the federal highway M51 "Irtysh", going from the Southern Urals to Novosibirsk via Kurgan and Omsk. And east of Irkutsk, movement towards the Pacific Ocean continues along the M55 federal highway, going in the direction of Ulan-Ude and further to Chita.
From the history of communication lines
The modern M53 highway on the map is the distance along the historical path from central Russia to the Pacific Ocean. This oldest trans-Siberian land tract appeared in the middle of the eighteenth century. Of course, in those distant days, there were no bridge crossings over the great Siberian rivers, and the various sections of the track called the Moscow Highway in historical sources were not stable. In many sections, they were duplicated and represented more likely directions of movement than fully equipped roads. But bridges and roads were built gradually, as the Russian Empire moved east. And one of the bridge crossings is well known even to those who have never been to Siberia. The M53-route runs in Krasnoyarsk across the bridge over the Yenisei. It is he who is depicted on a banknote of ten rubles.
Track numbers on the map of Russia
Currently, on the territory of the Russian Federation there are signs for roads adopted in the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of November 17, 2010. This document defines new designations for some routes of federal significance. In particular, they are indicated by the prefix "M", as coming from Moscow. But at the same time, the previous codification system remains temporarily in force. Its action expires on January 1, 2018. In the new system of codification of routes there is no separation of them into categories - main and secondary. But there is a tendency to increase the serial numbers of the tracks as they move away from the capital.
M53 highway today
Currently, the construction of the federal highway "Siberia" can in no way be called completed. Despite the fact that freight and passenger transportation is carried out around the highway 24 hours a day, in many of its sections the road surface leaves much to be desired, and often it is completely absent. Work on the repair and construction of the track did not stop almost never. The roadside service infrastructure also needs improvement. Road builders have to overcome significant difficulties. This is due primarily to complex soils. For a considerable distance, they require preliminary strengthening, before they can be erected an embankment under the future road. Many settlements cross the highway right along the main street. This is historically the case. This did not create any problems until the beginning of the twentieth century, while the main mode of transport was horse-drawn. But at present, it is necessary to invest heavily in the construction of bypass areas around settlements.
Distance Novosibirsk - Kemerovo
At its initial stage , the M53 federal highway runs mainly on flat terrain. From Novosibirsk, the road goes northward to Tomsk. But she does not enter this city, turning right to Kemerovo. Turn left to Tomsk, the road branch is indicated on the maps with the same M53 designation as the entire highway. The condition of the roadway along the entire route to Kemerovo is quite satisfactory. The width of the carriageway is seven meters. The road surface is asphalt concrete. Of the significant water barriers - only the Tom River, the bridge over it is located not far from Kemerovo. According to statistics, at this distance the number of accidents is minimal.
Section Kemerovo - Irkutsk
This is the most difficult part of the route. Hard road surface is not available here in all areas. Particularly difficult is the stretch of the Kemerovo-Mariinsk route, passing through an elevated area. A large taiga massif crosses the road here, and its outlines take on a serpentine character. After Mariinsk, the track is leveled, and the road becomes calmer. Behind the former post of traffic police "Bogotol" is a convenient place for parking and recreation. There are roadside service structures in the form of cafes and motels. After Achinsk, traffic on the highway becomes more busy, this affects the approach of the big city - Krasnoyarsk. The city itself highway M53 passes along its outskirts, along the northern contour. And then the final section of the path to Irkutsk remains. On this stretch there are difficult sections of the road, without a hard surface. Most of them are in the Taishet area. It is especially difficult here with precipitation.
What you need to remember on the Siberia highway
Traffic on the Siberian roads has its own specifics. It is determined by geography and climate. A map of the M53 highway is able to demonstrate how much distance you have to overcome on the way from one settlement to another. Any equipment failure along the way can leave you alone with the problems that have arisen. Therefore, it is best to travel along Siberian routes, as was customary in ancient times, as part of caravans. This is especially true in the winter time. The climate in Siberia is sharply continental, with a large annual temperature difference. This means that it is quite hot in summer and very cold in winter. Very often snow drifts occur, greatly hampering movement along the highway.
Moscow Gate in Irkutsk
An interesting historical monument directly related to the M53 federal highway is the triumphal arch in Irkutsk. It was erected in 1813 on the banks of the Angara. At this point, the Moscow highway began, a short journey from Eastern Siberia to the central regions of Russia. And the arch erected in honor of Emperor Alexander the First opened it. An expressive architectural monument, executed in the style of classicism, was demolished not in the Soviet era, but even before the outbreak of the First World War. The city authorities at that moment did not find funds for its repair. But it was restored in its original form in our time, on the same foundation, exactly 200 years after the completion of the original.