The Russian Highways State Company, representatives of fuel and road operators, as well as regions located in the attraction zone of the M-12 Vostok highway, joined forces to prepare the route for the May holidays and the new tourist season.
The first statistics of the traffic intensity at the M-12 Vostok has showed that further efforts needs to be made to improve the comfort of drivers and passengers. After the full launch of the 810-kilometer section of the M-12 Vostok from Moscow to Kazan in December 2023, hundreds of thousands of motorists set off on a trip along the new highway. It was during the pre-holidays and holidays that the peak of traffic on the M-12 came about. Thus, on December 30 last year, motorists made more than 90 thousand trips along the entire length of the new road.
To relieve overcrowding at multifunctional zones (MFZ) during the upcoming days of peak load — the May holiday weekend and later, during the summer season — a detailed plan has been developed to optimize the operation of multifunctional zones down the M-12.
To this end, the involved companies and regional authorities will once again inform motorists about the location of multifunctional zones and container gas stations. The working condition of all water pumps, cash registers, bathrooms and sales areas at multifunctional zones will be checked in advance.
During peak loads, it is planned to double the MFZ staff. If necessary, employees will manually coordinate the influx of clients to the MFZ. They are to aid motorists and give easy recommendations that will allow them to avoid queues: first refuel, and then immediately drive the car to a parking lot, to proceed to have some rest, eat a meal, take children to the playground or warm up using the outdoor exercise equipment.
Along the M-12 Vostok, 18 complex service facilities have been operating since the opening of traffic to Kazan. In total, 32 multifunctional zones are designed for this section of the M-12, to be found every 50 km on average. Construction of the remaining MFZs goes on: at the moment, another 10 facilities have been sold out and are in various stages of implementation.
The M-12 highway is popular among motorists. The route along it is preferred for being a considerable time saver, as well as for the absence of traffic lights, intersections and pedestrian crossings. The State Company carries on the grand-scale construction of this vital highway — by the end of this year it will be extended to Yekaterinburg — along with the improvement of all attendant infrastructure.
