Asphalt concrete laying was completed at the 1st start-up complex of M-12, Phase 1 in the Vladimir region

Stroytransgaz Group is carrying out the construction of Phase 1 of the M-12 Moscow-Kazan-Ekaterinburg highway with the length of 80 km. However, by the year end, it is planned to commission more than half of the section – 48 km – ahead of schedule. The builders have laid the asphalt concrete pavement at the introductory section, now its readiness is 94%.

The new M-12 highway has a huge economic potential, and in modern realities it should become one of the main transport routes in Russia and a key corridor to Asian countries. In this regard, high rates of construction were ensured, as Stroytransgaz Group will deliver 48 km out of 80 km of Phase 1 ahead of schedule – in 2022. The section itself runs from the intersection with the A-108 Moscow Big Ring federal highway to the intersection with the M-7 Volga federal highway.

The personal supervision by Marat Khusnullin, Deputy Prime Minister, Vyacheslav Petushenko, Chairman of the Board of Russian Highways, and Vladimir Lavlentsev, CEO of the company, helps to achieve these results. Further, introduction of the Stroytransgaz Production System, monitoring and analysis of losses and backlogs, and key events schedule have a major role to play in the high-quality project execution. These measures allow us to perform work not just on time, but ahead of schedule as well.

On October 31, the asphalt concrete pavement was laid on the main course of the introductory section of the M-12 highway, Phase 1. 3 layers of asphalt concrete mixture were laid on 4 lanes and roadsides, with the total thickness of 28 cm. Over 5 thousand tons of the mixture were laid on the site daily, which in total amounts to more than 770 thousand tons. Such a volume would be enough to pave Sokolniki Park in Moscow 6.5 times.

Road builders demonstrated a sound approach to the selection of mixtures for the layers. SP 32-E asphalt mix was used for the surface layer of the base. It contains a unique binder designed specifically for climate conditions in the Moscow and Vladimir Regions. The surface course is laid using a crushed stone-mastic asphalt concrete mixture. The peculiarity of this mixture is that it is adapted to the road’s actual transport and operational characteristics and to climatic conditions of the work site. This mixture has resistance to rutting and increased crack resistance.

All asphalt mixes are produced at 4 plants of the company, which were built specifically for the project near the work site. Each plant produces 160 to 240 tons of the mix per hour. On the territory of each plant there are testing laboratories that control quality of the produced mixture.

In parallel, on the introductory section, where pavement of all three layers was nearing completion, the workers performed installation of road elements, landscaping and road marking. Crash barriers along the road baseline have been installed on 47 out of 48 km, 2570 out of 2700 lighting poles have been erected, and 40 km of wires between them have been laid, 16 km of road marking have been applied.

The overall completion of Phase 1 is 73%. 60 km out of 80 km of the base surface course is ready, the lower course of the pavement – 53 km and the surface course of the pavement – 47 km.

The construction project will include building 29 crossing structures, which are 24 bridges and overpasses, 3 cattle passes, and 2 pedestrian underpasses. The entrance section of 48 km includes 13 crossing structures, all of which will be completed in full by the end of this year.