Opening of the Naryan-Mar – Usinsk road

New 211 km road to link Nenets Autonomous Area and Komi Republic

The construction of the last 15.2-kilometer section of the Naryan-Mar – Usinsk highway has been completed in the Nenets Autonomous Area.

“This new road will permanently link the two neighboring regions, creating a better living environment for residents. It will serve as an economic development driver not only for the Nenets Autonomous Area, but also for other Russian northern regions,” Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said during the opening ceremony.

The official went on to say that the Government views expanding road infrastructure in the Extreme North, including the work to build this highway, as one of its priorities.

“It would not be an exaggeration to call the opening of this highway a historic event. People here have been waiting for this to happen for more than 30 years. This new transport artery will breathe new life into investment projects underway in our region. It will also create a solid foundation for all the construction projects here. We have an extensive experience in Arctic construction. The conditions here are rather special, and the equipment we need is not the same as elsewhere. We will keep moving forward, and we have new goals,” Governor of the Nenets Autonomous Area Yury Bezdudny said.

Two sections were launched today after laying macadam and gravel surfacing. The first section is 6.6 kilometers long and includes a renovated 200-meter bridge over the Shapkina River. The second section is 8.6 kilometers long and includes a new bridge over the Layavozh River.

“The Naryan-Mar – Usinsk road was built using federal funding, and this support will remain available. In 2023, regional and local construction projects in the Nenets Autonomous Area can benefit from over 2 billion rubles in federal budget funding,” said Igor Kostyuchenko, head of the Federal Road Agency.

The Naryan-Mar – Usinsk is 211.8 kilometers long. Its construction started in 1991, but the project was suspended in 2008 due to the lack of funding. It was completed in 2019-2023 in several stages as part of the Safe Quality Roads national project.