
M-5 again: traffic on the highway between Ufa and Chelyabinsk is paralyzed

On several sections of the federal highway M-5 Ural between Ufa and Chelyabinsk, multi-kilometer traffic jams were recorded in both directions in the morning. The congestion was caused by both the abundance of cars and repair work. The traffic jam has been holding for almost a day. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Traffic jams on the M-5 Ural on April 16
In the Chelyabinsk region, multi-kilometer traffic jams were recorded between Ufa and Chelyabinsk. They began to grow on Tuesday, April 15, and by the morning of April 16 they had beaten the previous record of 60 km. The largest accumulation of cars in both directions and traffic jams of up to 10 points are recorded in areas near the city of Sim.
The reason, according to preliminary data, was the breakdown of one truck and the skidding of another, as well as congestion and repair work. So, the situation is affected by the repair of the bridge near the city of Sim, which is why reverse traffic is organized on the site. This was reported in the Department of the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the region.
"On the 1644th km of the M-5 Ural Moscow-Chelyabinsk highway, near Yuryuzan, a vehicle breakdown occurred. On the 1667th km of the highway between Yuryuzan and Bakal, the car was partially on the roadway due to an electronic failure," the department said.
Drivers share pictures of a huge traffic jam on social networks.
The press service of the South Ural Highway Administration explained that the intensity of traffic flow on the M-5 highway is currently 8-10 times higher than the estimated one, and a significant number of cargo vehicles move with multiple overloads. According to the department, 30-35 thousand cars pass along the highway every day.
The agency promises to complete temporary repairs by April 20, but drivers complain about the tense situation, the lack of workers in some areas and, in their opinion, ineffective traffic control.
Traffic jams from Miass to Chelyabinsk: how the M-5 was repaired
Major traffic jams on the M-5 Ural highway occur relatively regularly. Last August, a 10-kilometer section of the road from Miass to Chelyabinsk was opened after repairs. It was made four-lane to combat congestion and serious accidents that regularly occurred on the site, as it was considered the busiest section of the highway. However, drivers soon started complaining about traffic jams again.
As Governor Alexey Texler explained during the opening of the road, in the coming years it is planned to increase lanes towards the border with Bashkiria in the Ashinsky district and on the A-310 road, which leads from Chelyabinsk to Troitsk.
"The region invests heavily in road construction. This year we will build more than 800 km of regional roads. We are not reducing, but, on the contrary, increasing the financing of the road fund. We will bring the federal highways to a standard state, taking into account the traffic that we have. The highways are overloaded, all roads are important for our country," the head of the region added.
The M-5 Ural highway: features and reconstruction
The federal highway M-5 Ural, which, together with the approaches, is 3.2 thousand km long, passes through 11 Russian regions. It starts in Moscow and reaches Yekaterinburg via Ryazan, Penza, Samara, Ufa and Chelyabinsk.
According to Rosavtodor, serious modernization works are carried out on the road every year, aimed at increasing traffic capacity and improving comfort and safety.
Rosavtodor warned on the eve of the closure of the highway that traffic on the M-5 in the Chelyabinsk region will be limited due to road repairs from April 10 to May 1.
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