MKAD is one of the largest and most famous highways in the world. It has a long history, during which reconstruction and improvement of this project took place. The Moscow Ring Road is located on the territory of Moscow and its environs. Even at present, there is an improvement in its transport interchanges for the convenience of motorists, which will minimize traffic jams and increase throughput. What is the length of the Moscow Ring Road?
History of creation
The length of the Moscow Ring Road and its components is constantly changing. This is due to an increase in the total flow of transport. This highway has been leading its history since 1937. At this time, began designing a new route in the Moscow region. A year later, its construction began, but it was suspended due to war. Instead of a new project, a different plan was developed and roads were laid along existing ones. These works took only one month. The length of the Moscow Ring Road during this period was not very long. At the end of the war, the problem arose of expanding the highway, as well as its reconstruction. At that moment, the road surface became unusable, which made it difficult to move. In addition, the traffic flow increased, which required the expansion of the route.
Modern track
The first reconstruction took place from 1957 to 1962. So there was a highway, which exists in our time. The length of the Moscow Ring Road was 109 kilometers. It got its name because of the unusual configuration. The road covered the territory of Moscow or most of it with a ring in the form of an uneven oval. MKAD had four lanes for traffic in each direction. In the 60s, such a throughput (36 thousand cars per day) was sufficient. However, with the development of mechanical engineering, the flow of machines increased. MKAD demanded another reconstruction. However, it was postponed due to high material costs.
New highway
The problem of expanding the route was brewing every year. Accident rate increased several times on it. The lighting was poor and the workload was high. Ground crossings became unsafe, which led to the death of people. Perestroika began in 1994. As a result, the number of stripes increased to five in each direction. Lampposts were installed along the entire route , illuminating it well. Instead of pedestrian crossings , underground ones were equipped. Also, to increase throughput and eliminate traffic jams, multi-level interchanges were invented and designed.
Contemporary issues
The length of the Moscow Ring Road in Moscow and its throughput capacity now again do not meet the requirements. The flow of cars is steadily increasing, so she can’t cope with the task - to ensure uninterrupted travel. A new problem arises of the reconstruction and construction of ramps and interchanges. In 2008, they began construction of a new fourth ring of the highway. However, by 2011 it was suspended due to the need for large investments. Now the issue of continuing reconstruction is being decided. The length of the Moscow Ring Road may increase, but the solution will be a more convenient road with high bandwidth.