Kavkaz highway connecting Russia-Azerbaijan to be upgraded to four lanes

The Kavkaz highway, which links Russia's regions to Azerbaijan, is set to undergo expansion and will become a four-lane highway by 2030, Alexander Lukashuk, head of the FKU Uprdor Kavkaz said.

Lukashuk emphasized that the main focus of the project is the R-217 Kavkaz road, which is a key part of the international North-South transport corridor. This corridor connects various Russian regions with foreign countries, and the R-217 is crucial in facilitating both tourist and cargo traffic, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

“Today, our priority is the main road R-217 Kavkaz. The entire route will be upgraded to four lanes by 2030,” Lukashuk said in an interview with reporters in Pyatigorsk. Currently, between 75 and 85 per cent of the road already consists of four lanes.

In addition to the R-217 upgrade, Lukashuk revealed that the overall road network within the North Caucasus Federal District, which forms part of the North-South transport corridor, will also be expanded to four lanes. This includes the integration of several sections of the R-215 motorway with the R-217.

Lukashuk noted that the Kavkaz road handles the largest volume of both tourist traffic and cargo transport, underscoring the importance of this project. Alongside the expansion of the road itself, the bridges on the route will also be widened to accommodate increased traffic.

The R-217 Kavkaz road stretches 1,118 kilometres from the village of Pavlovskaya in Krasnodar region to the village of Yarag-Kazmalyar in Dagestan, which lies on the border with Azerbaijan. A 103-kilometer access road goes from the highway to the capital of Adygea.

The approved section is a road junction situated on the outskirts of Maykop.

It passes through the Krasnodar and Stavropol territories, as well as several republics within the North Caucasus Federal District.

By Vafa Guliyeva