Frost will not hinder construction

Works on construction of Phase 1 of the M-12 highway

The M-12 highway is one of the largest and priority road construction projects in Russia today. Stroytransgaz Group performs construction of Phase 1 of the road. Implementation of such a large-scale project is of strategic importance for the country, so already on December 3, the builders went to the site, despite the frost.

There is an opinion that it is impossible carry construction in the cold, but it is not true. There are types of work that do not depend on temperature conditions. Thus, on the main course of the road, the roadbed was prepared – embankments were built and slopes were reinforced. During heavy snowfalls and snowstorms, excavation and backfilling were halted, and snow and ice were completely removed from the surface before work resumed.

To ensure the required compaction of the soil before it freezes, the time interval from excavation in the pit to the moment of its final compaction in the embankment is limited depending on the ambient air temperature from 1 hour (at temperatures below minus 20°C) to 3 hours (at minus 5°C). All works were carried out using measures to prevent freezing of material while being hauled and compacted.

Rearrangement of utilities continued: storm water drainage was laid and supports for outdoor lighting were installed.

Phase 1 of the M-12 highway construction includes 29 artificial structures, 13 of which were built and commissioned in 2022. Work continues on 16 bridges and overpasses. For their construction in 2023 about 300 tons of steel structures for the superstructure have already been delivered, some of them were assembled during the holidays and are ready for further installation. Besides, on artificial structures work was carried out on waterproofing, installation of reinforcement cages and special auxiliary structures and devices, reinforcement of crossbars, racks and ceilings, etc.

In total, about 1,250 people and 320 pieces of equipment were involved in the work at the facility during the holidays.

As a reminder, in December 2022, Stroytransgaz Group built 48 km of the route almost two years ahead of schedule. The ceremonial start of traffic was attended by Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, Marat Khusnullin, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Aleksandr Avdeev, Governor of the Vladimir region, Dmitry Lebedev, General Director of Stroytransgaz Group, and Vyacheslav Petushenko, Chairman of SC Russian Highways Management Board.

The total length of Phase 1 is 80 km. By the end of 2023, Stroytransgaz plans to commission the remaining 32 km of the road ahead of schedule again. The company takes a high pace of construction of a new route, because the M-12 highway has a huge economic potential. In modern realities it shall become one of the main transport routes in Russia and a key corridor to Asian countries.