Highway m 7 Volga. Highway M7 from Nizhny Novgorod to Cheboksary

It is not easy to break away and easily decide on a long journey by car. However, if you belong to the category of people who love the romance of roads, we suggest that you consider the route Moscow - Kazan. It passes through the federal highway M7 "Volga", the distance between cities is 818 km, which on average is overcome in 12 hours.

According to Avtodor, in the middle current year government Russian Federation project will be presented toll road connecting Moscow and the capital of Tatarstan, at the end of 2018 it is planned to start implementing the international project "Europe - Western China". Part of the path of the global highway will pass through the territory of the Russian Federation. One of its sections will be the Moscow-Kazan high-speed road, the length of which will be 828 kilometers. The estimated speed on the highway will be 100-150 km/h, and the number of lanes will vary from four to six. As expected, the toll highway to Kazan will be built by 2022.

One of the possible options for the road to Kazan today passes through such big cities like Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Cheboksary. The infrastructure on the highway is well developed: mini-hotels, cafes, gas stations. Experienced autotourists are advised to stay overnight in the city of Gorokhovets Vladimir region.

According to drivers, the Moscow-Kazan road is "very good throughout the route, it is comfortable to drive with the exception of the section between Nizhny Novgorod and Cheboksary - the quality of the roadway is far from ideal there."

The M7 motorway, connecting the capital of Russia and the capital of Tatarstan, originates at the intersection of the Moscow Ring Road and the Entuziastov highway and goes further along the territory of the Moscow Region, where it has from 4 to 8 lanes in different sections. The road has an improved asphalt concrete surface. According to drivers, the road is excellent with good coverage. The route passes through settlements with a large number of traffic lights, which definitely makes traffic difficult. A project for a new toll road in the Moscow region, bypassing Balashikha and Noginsk to Orekhovo-Zuev and then connecting with the M7. Its length will be 21.8 km. It will be designed to unload the flow on the Volga highway on one of the most difficult sections of the Moscow region, thereby average speed movement. However exact dates construction in Avtodor has not yet been named.

According to the traffic police, dangerous sections in the Moscow region are 20-26 km, 37 km, 43 km, 51 km, 65-69 km, 71-82 km, 89-98 km, 94 km. Traffic police posts are located on the following sections: 12 km, 21 km, 25 km, 34 km, 40 km, 73 km; DPS ambushes can be encountered at: 0.2 km, 23 km, 29 km, 77 km, 85 km, 92 km. Radars and cameras on the road to Kazan in the Moscow region are located: 10 km, 19 km, 25 km, 26 km, 36 km, 37 km, 41 km, 92 km. As a rule, it is better to leave Moscow so as not to lose time in traffic jams, either early in the morning or in the evening after 22:00.

The Vladimir region is the second one, through which the Volga highway runs. On the section from the beginning of the Vladimir region to Vladimir (94 - 170 km), a 4-lane traffic is organized, the intensity of which, according to drivers, is quite high on this segment of the road, so you need to be extremely careful while driving, especially in unfavorable conditions. weather conditions. Passing Vladimir, you can drive directly through the city along the old section of the highway passing from its north side. Here you will have 15 minutes of traffic lights on a 2-lane road from 193 to 222 km. Another option is the Southern bypass of the city of Vladimir, which has a 2-lane traffic for 15 km and then from 16 to 54 km - a 4-lane road with a dividing strip.

Further along the Vladimir region, the route is a 4-lane road with a dividing fence, with the exception of settlements, and lasts up to 339 km. According to auto travelers, the main traffic police posts are located in the following places: “interchange of the northern bypass of Vladimir and the southern bypass near the village of Penkino; v. Pestovo - the mobile radar/camera is usually hidden behind the 8th lighting pole in the direction from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod; in the Vyaznikovsky district (approximately 285th km) - a disguised tripod in front of the overpass through railway near the village of Kourkovo; the crew meets after the bridge. Sometimes the direction of control changes - sometimes from the Moscow side, sometimes from the Nizhny Novgorod side. In the village of Simontsevo (approximately 276th km), they are on duty with a radar in the gap of the dividing line opposite the cafe in the center of the village. Measure in both directions. Also, traffic police posts are located at the following sections: 154 km, 192 km, 239 km, 241 km, 303 km; traffic police ambushes are possible - 100 km, 126 km, 134 km, 144 km, 157 km, 164 km, 193 km, 237 km, 320 km, 338 km. Radars and cameras are installed according to the site http://www.dlinaputi.ru/ at: 165 km, 173 km.

Further, the motorway for 250 km passes through Nizhny Novgorod region up to 590 km. Here the road for the most part has a good surface, the width of the canvas is from 2 to 6 lanes. Driving along the M7 highway, the driver can drive through Nizhny Novgorod and enjoy its architectural monuments. But if you want to shorten the road, then choose the route through the South Bypass Nizhny Novgorod. The new bypass road is a modern 6-lane highway with a dividing lawn and metal fenders. To date, it is not completely ready, 3 stages of the Southern Bypass with a total length of 76.5 kilometers have been built, the 3rd stage will be put into operation at the end of August 2016. The construction of the 4th stage of the 40-kilometer bypass road is ahead, which is planned to be completed by May 2018. In the Kstovo area, the Southern bypass leads to the main M7 Volga highway.

In the Nizhny Novgorod region, traffic police posts are located at: 341 km, 360 km, 389 km, 457 km, 463 km, 508 km; traffic police ambushes can be arranged: 347 km, 358 km, 382 km, 396 km, 438 km. Radars and cameras meet at: km 407, km 418, km 424,

After Nizhny Novgorod to the border with Chuvashia, the route continues with the Kazan highway, which is characterized by many ups and downs. The road in this section is two-lane without a dividing strip with an average quality of coverage. As a result, the route in this section is characterized by a rather high degree of accidents. On the territory of the Chuvash Republic itself, the route is called Gorkovskoye Highway and runs for 170 km to 761 km. The road surface in some sections leaves much to be desired, partly due to the hilly-ravine relief of Chuvashia. At the entrance to Cheboksary, the road goes south of the city. At many large crossroads of the bypass road, traffic control is organized by traffic lights, which operates during the daytime. From Cheboksary to the border with Tatarstan, the road is mainly two-lane, in some places three-lane with an overtaking lane.

In the Republic of Chuvashia, traffic police posts are located at: 661 km, 662 km, 680 km. 735 km, 759 km, 760 km. The camera stands at 631 km.

A new road bridge leads across the Volga. Prior to its construction, cars were ferried across the river. Now you can choose either new road on the bridge across the Volga, or the old one on the ferry to Zelenodolsk. After the bridge over the Volga, the M7 goes around Kazan along the Kazan bypass road. This highway is 49.5 km, it is a 4-lane road with a dividing strip.

In the Republic of Tatarstan, there will be a traffic police post at 787 km, and a radar at 807 km. According to locals, the roads in Kazan in 2016 are different good quality, however, driving without penalties will not work. The city is located a large number of photo and video recording cameras that record various types of violations: speeding, driving over the stop line, driving on the bus lane, non-compliance with the requirements prescribed road signs and markings, driving without fastened seat belts. In Kazan, cameras of the Avtodoria system are installed, which calculates the average speed of the car, and it is impossible for a radar detector to notice such cameras. Therefore, residents of the capital of Tatarstan advise travelers not to earn a lot of fines, to look closely at how the townspeople themselves drive.

Experienced autotourists advise beginners to have in the car or a navigator with the most latest versions maps, or a printed version of the Kazan road map, so that the trip does not cause difficulties, but only brings pleasure from beautiful views outside the window.

We parted at. For a long time, transit workers hardly used it, because it ended at the P158 highway leading to Saransk. Finally, in the fall of 2016, the third section of the bypass from P158 to the city of Kstovo was opened. Now you can drive along the M7 highway, bypassing the millionth with its busy traffic and traffic jams.

Highway M7. Bypass Nizhny Novgorod

In Lesnaya Polyana, we turn right onto the bypass of Nizhny Novgorod. The exit to the bypass was patched up in haste. At the end of the exit, traffic cops are on duty and stop black cars 🙂 My Volkswagen is gray, so I passed by without any problems. Green signs indicate that this is a motorway. This is the newest section of the Nizhny Novgorod bypass, opened less than a year ago. Unfortunately, the last section of the route has not yet been built. We have to turn onto Kstovo. A flat but rather narrow road leads there. We cross the Shelokshonka River on a new bridge and enter the Kstovo industrial zone. The Lukoil oil refinery operates nearby, and fuel trucks often come across on the road. The new route connects to the Kstovo bypass. At the circle, we need to turn right. At the village of Sheloksha, you can turn onto the local road and go onto the M7 as far as the village of Rabotki, but we will leave such delights for the all-knowing local residents and follow the sign to Kazan. The Nizhny Novgorod detour ends after about 45 km and we leave the M7 far beyond.

Highway M7 from Kstovo to Chuvashia

This is probably the hardest part. federal highway Volga. Instead of a highway, our path goes along a narrow two-lane highway. Sometimes a third lane is added on the uphills. The road is clearly designed for GAZ 51, at best - for MAZ 500, and not for modern heavy Volvos.

The hilly relief of the right bank of the Volga, dissected by deep valleys, adds long rises, on which traffic jams sometimes accumulate.

The road is obviously busy. Transport goes in a continuous stream. But the surroundings are very picturesque. Pictures taken on the move from the car cannot convey the beauty of the places there. We drive into Lyskovo. There are numerous gas stations, including Lukoil, tire shops and roadside shops. The condition of the road surface is not very good. The photo shows the track, pressed through by heavy trucks, but there are no frank holes. The traffic is still dense, but at least we are driving without traffic jams. Shortly before the border with Chuvashia, the M7 highway expands to 4 lanes, a bump stop and lights appear.

Highway M7 from the border of Chuvashia to Cheboksary

At the entrance to Chuvashia there are capital booths of a traffic police post and numerous cameras hang. Perhaps this is the Rotenberg Platon system, unloved by truckers, but it is better to slow down. Soon after the border with Chuvashia, the M7 highway crosses the Sura River. West Bank the river is gentle, but the eastern one is more than steep. To the east we drive along the old bridge. A disgusting shaky section leads to it, all covered in patches of old asphalt. The traffic on the bridge seems to be two-lane, but I did not dare to overtake. The movement towards Nizhny Novgorod goes along the new bridge. However, although the exit to it was completed, it was never opened. You have to drive down the old steep slope and make a sharp 90-degree turn to get to new bridge. This is a very dangerous place, especially in the dark.

Behind the Sura River, the M7 highway turns into a beautiful new highway. However, the fairy tale does not last long - 40 kilometers. Further, the same narrow two-three-lane highway goes towards Kazan. The coverage in Chuvashia is perhaps the worst. At the entrance to the capital of the republic, the M7 highway again turns into a four-lane highway. The detour of Cheboksary does not cause delight. The narrow road with numerous traffic lights is not in the best condition. But with traffic cops everything is in order.

Road P176 “Vyatka”

starts from the M7 highway beyond Cheboksary and soon goes to the dam of the Cheboksary hydroelectric power station. On it we cross the Volga in the direction of Yoshkar-Ola. At the entrance to the dam, formidable shields have been installed prohibiting photography strategic object. Obviously the Chuvash KGB officers have no idea about google earth🙂A fairly decent asphalt has been laid on the dam itself, but the road going further along the northern dam is simply disgusting: cracks, patches, a bunch of small holes. Shaking on this disgrace, we enter the Republic of Mari El. The road is leveled as if by magic. 80 kilometers of the Vyatka road left the most pleasant impressions. Smooth asphalt, clear markings, a beautiful forest and an almost complete lack of traffic. A huge roundabout is built 50 kilometers from Yoshkar Ola at the crossroads with the road to Kazan. Pine forest and there is a Lukoil gas station. We met with something similar at Gryazovets, when

Values ​​that goes through such major cities as Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Ufa, Kazan and Vladimir. Also, the road passes with entrances to a number of other cities, and part European route E22 refers to E017.

Despite the fact that the Sibir, Irtysh, Amur and Baikal highways are continuations of the M-5, as the main highway linking Far East With European part Russia, it is considered the M-7, since it provides shortest way from Moscow to the eastern regions.

basic information

This highway originates in the east of the capital, from the intersection of the Entuziastov highway and the Moscow Ring Road, but it should be noted that all distances are measured from the center of Moscow. In the future, it passes through the Vladimir, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod regions, as well as the republics of Chuvashia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. Its total length is 1351 kilometers.

In addition, the highway also includes various access roads to:

• Ivanov, the length is 101 km;
• Cheboksary, western entrance - 11 km, eastern - 3 km;
• Izhevsk, the length reaches 165 km;
• Perm, length 294 km.

It is also worth noting that the M-7 highway includes the Southern bypass of Vladimir with a length of 54 km, as well as Nizhny Novgorod, which has a length of 16 km.

The road itself passes through slightly hilly terrain, and in some areas there are steppe and wooded-marshy areas. The temperature conditions on a given road are often exactly the same, and in January average temperature is -10 o C, and in July - +20 o C.

For a long time, a project to extend the highway was hatched, and it was supposed to go from Ufa through the Zhukovsky interchange with the M-5 highway, as well as through the villages of Taptykovo, Berezovka, Zhukovo, Bulgakovo and further through Kartaly up to the border of Russia with Kazakhstan. In the end, the M-7 Volga highway was never developed, because due to the existence of the ZATO Mezhgorie, the project was not approved, although the area of ​​​​the design route in the area of ​​​​Zhukovskaya interchange was nevertheless built up.

Moscow region

Through the Vladimir and Moscow regions this route passes through flat areas of swamps located in various watercourses, which were changed during the construction process, as well as relatively high humidity, have a negative impact on the state of the M-7 Volga highway. Within the boundaries of the region, the road is quite straight, and the only exception is the 52nd km, which is located under the A-107 overpass, and does not have any strong longitudinal slopes. It is also worth noting that the road here passes through a fairly large number of settlements and traffic lights.

Almost throughout the entire territory on which the M-7 highway runs, the direction has at least four lanes, with each of them having a width of more than 3.5 meters. The entire section of the road is characterized by an improved asphalt concrete surface, and in most dangerous and high-speed sections it is also equipped with an axial barrier. In the period from 2005 to 2007, capital work was also carried out on the overwhelming majority of overpasses and bridges, and from 2006 to 2008 interchanges were also built on the 52nd km of the track. From May to June 2008, the pavement of the section from km 68 to km 79 was restored, and in autumn the bridge located at km 86 was also repaired.

In 2009, it was decided to repair the pavement, as well as install an axial fence at the 33-37th km section, and at the end of the year it was also decided to install specialized cameras for recording violations on especially hazardous areas. In 2010, we also installed axial barriers and an additional chamber stand located at the 66th km.

Special attention should be paid to the fact that the state of the M-7 highway is constantly updated and modernized. In 2012, a large-scale improvement of the lighting system was carried out, as well as traffic lights equipped with a specialized time meter were installed, and in the next year an elevated pedestrian crossing was built.

Attractions

As mentioned above, there are a lot of significant places near which the M-7 highway is located. The destination includes the following attractions:

• The estate of the princes Golitsins, which is located in Balashikha.
• The house where Sergei Fedorovich Pankratov lived, which is a unique manifestation of personal creativity.
• Assumption Church, located in the village of Bogoslovo, on the 64th kilometer of the way.

Vladimir region

The per-kilometer scheme of the M-7 Volga highway shows that in the Vladimir region the road differs in many respects from the Moscow one in that it passes through a more rugged terrain, which provides for the presence more longitudinal slopes and bends, which can somewhat complicate the movement.

The section that runs from the border of the Vladimir region to Vladimir itself includes a fragment that has a four-lane traffic. On this section, the construction of the M-7 bypass was carried out in such a way that the dividing fences along the axis are encountered only periodically, and the traffic intensity in this section is approximately 40,000 vehicles per day. Due to the fact that the route is quite busy and insufficiently equipped, traffic along it is tense, and sometimes quite dangerous, especially in adverse weather conditions.

The southern bypass of the city of Vladimir, which has a length of 54 km, for the first fifteen kilometers has only a two-lane road, and the further section already has four lanes with a normal dividing line. It is worth noting that you can get to Nizhny Novgorod through the Southern Bypass of Vladimir, which was opened in 2001. You can also do this along the old section of the highway passing directly through Vladimir from the north side. It should be noted that its length is approximately 2 kilometers less compared to the Southern Bypass. After the repair of the M-7 highway, 15 traffic lights appeared on it, and as a result, traffic jams can be noticed during peak hours. Special attention should be paid to the fact that from the 193rd to the 222nd kilometer the road has only two lanes.

In the future, in the Vladimir region, the path passes along a fairly satisfactory four-lane highway, often with a dividing fence (not counting some settlements), therefore, it does not cause any particular complaints.

Posts

The construction of the M-7 highway was carried out in parallel with the construction of posts, while the government made sure that there were enough of them to ensure the safest possible traffic. Thus, the following posts can be distinguished:

• At the junction of the Southern bypass near the village of Penkino and the northern bypass of Vladimir. IN this place a car radar or camera is often located behind the eighth lighting column, if you count in the direction from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod.
• In the Vyaznikovsky district (approximately the 285th kilometer). A specially disguised tripod is installed here, which is located near the village of Kourkovo in front of the overpass across the railway, and the crew itself is located directly near the bridge. It should be noted that from time to time the direction of control may change, and sometimes it is carried out from the Moscow side, and sometimes from the Nizhny Novgorod side.
• In the village of Simontsevo (approximately the 276th kilometer). The duty post, together with the radar, is located in the gap of the dividing line opposite the cafe, located in the center of the village. Here, control is already being carried out immediately over both directions of movement.

Nizhny Novgorod Region

It should be noted that in the Nizhny Novgorod region, for the most part, the section of the highway is covered with a fairly good road. Overall Width the canvas here is from two to six lanes, and its length itself is 250 kilometers. On this moment this section of the route passes directly through Nizhny Novgorod, and every day more than 45 thousand cars pass through the M-7 highway. Hotels are located almost along the entire stretch of the road, constantly accepting more and more new guests. The choice is large, you can choose the option according to your pocket.

Southern Bypass

This is a relatively new bypass road, which includes a section of the track that fully meets all modern quality and safety requirements. In terms of performance, it is a highway with a dividing lawn, as well as various metal fenders along the edges, having an embankment height of 12-22 m. It should be noted that this highway has not yet been completed to the end, therefore it breaks off at the intersection with the road R158. After that, they indicated that they were already going to Bolshoye Mokroe and, approximately in the Kstovo area, they were taken to the main road.

The construction and reconstruction of the M-7 highway in the area of ​​the Southern Bypass has been going on since 1984. The first stage, which is 16 kilometers long, connected this road with P125, and its construction was carried out between 1984 and 1993, including a bridge over the Oka River. The second line, passing through P125 and P158, having a length of 14.5 kilometers, was laid in just two and a half years, and it was opened in 2008. The third and fourth were never built due to the fact that the state could not finance construction work due to economic crisis. In 2010, after a proposal from Sergey Ivanov, it was decided to work out a plan for the construction of the third stage, where public-private partnership with further organization toll. The third section was 46 kilometers long, and the cost of laying it is estimated at 20 billion rubles.

At the beginning of 2016, the construction of the third stage of the Southern Bypass was already at the final stage. The roadbed and main engineering communications have already been laid, as well as artificial structures have been erected. Among the remaining work, it is worth noting the laying of two additional oil pipelines, as well as the construction of another power line, followed by laying the final layer of the roadway. Traffic on this section opens in 2016, and it is worth noting that the dates were originally scheduled for 2017. labor movement should be launched by July 25, and the final commissioning will occur only in late August or early September, after the necessary tests have been carried out.

The fourth phase of the Southern Bypass is expected to be the longest and most costly section, and its length will be about 40 kilometers. Due to the construction of this section, it will subsequently be possible to provide a full-fledged bypass of Kstov and Nizhny Novgorod, providing access to the main M-7 Volga highway. Financing of this stage will be organized exclusively from the federal budget, and its construction is planned to be completed before the 2018 World Cup.

Nizhny Novgorod - border with Chuvashia

After the route continues to the Kazanskoe highway, after which it goes to the Photo of the M-7 highway clearly shows how the terrain changes noticeably, as a fairly large number of steep ascents and descents appear. The site has a fairly high accident rate, because the road has only two lanes, but there is no dividing line on it. The quality of the pavement is average, and only periodically the authorities carry out repairs. On this section of the road, you can only meet the urban settlement Vorotynets, as well as the cities of Lyskovo and Kstovo, through which the M-7 highway passes. Refueling is also quite rare.

Chuvashia

The so-called Gorky highway passes through the Chuvash Republic, the length of which is from 160 to 170 kilometers. On the way of this road there is a mass geographical objects, including Cheboksary, the Sura River, the city of Tsivilsk and many others. Due to the fact that Chuvashia itself is characterized by a predominantly hilly-ravine relief, the road surface is not of the highest quality in many sections of the highway. In 2013, a bridge was built across the Sura for vehicles to cross, and roads began to be built at various sections of the entrance to that bridge. At most major intersections of bypass roads, there is an established traffic light regulation, but it works mainly only during the day.

Bridge across the Volga

Before the construction of an automobile bridge across the Volga on the M-7 began, the route initially passed in Tatarstan, and again returned to Chuvashia approximately at a section of about the ninth kilometer. At the same time, two ferries were regularly launched, which could transport various trucks.

After the bridge was commissioned in 1990, located near the village of Naberezhnye Morkvashi, the M-7 highway was changed, and a new section was built in Tatarstan, passing through beautiful place at the renovated bridge crossing with Svyaga near Isakovo. In the future, a four-lane road begins in the Verkhneuslonsky district after a turn from Ulyanovsk.

Which is located near Nizhniye Vyazovye, is still functioning today, and one ferry for cargo ships runs through it, cars and pedestrians. IN winter time there it is customary to organize a special ice crossing, along which cars can move.

For some time, on various maps (including electronic ones), the M-7 highway near Tyurlema ​​was indicated by two separate roads - this is the new one, which led to the bridge over the Volga River, and the old one, going through the ferry to Zelenodolsk.

Tatarstan

After the bridge across the Volga ends, the route goes around Kazan via the Kazan bypass road, where it also crosses the Kazanka River.

Then the road goes through the Pestrechinsky district. A fairly large amount of work was carried out here, aimed at extending the bypass road to R-239, performing it in the form of a full-fledged four-lane highway. Further, the route in the format of a 2x2 road passes to the village of Shali, where it rests on a two-level interchange, from which there is also an exit to the R-239 highway. After this interchange, there is a two-lane road again.

The continuation of the four-lane highway can be seen again only at the 900th kilometer, and it is located at the entrance to the Rybno-Slobodsky district. At the end of the Pestrechinsky district, the road goes through Mamadyshsky and Rybnoslobodsky districts. It should be noted that 20-30 kilometers before the Mamadysh exit, which the highway bypasses to the south, there is a large parking lot with a fish market, and the highway here is two-lane. But after the bridge over the Kirmyanka River, the route again divides into four streams, and so it goes through the new bridge along the Vyatka River, passing through the Yelabuga region. The Elabuga bypass road also has four lanes, and three kilometers after the bypass there is a connection with the highway towards Mendeleevsk.

All this information can be quite useful for those who do not know where the M-7 highway is, or who must cross some of its sections. Thanks to detailed explanations, you can not only overcome various obstacles, but also visit a lot of sights, having a good time along the way.

The federal highway M7 "Volga" is almost the only road leading to the east. There is also the M5 Ural highway, which connects to the M7 in Ufa, but the entire traffic between Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan and Izhevsk falls on the old Vladimirka. It is constantly being reconstructed, asphalt is being changed, bridges are being repaired, which further exacerbates the “impassability” of the route.

M7. A bit of history

Within Moscow, “Vladimirka” is called the “Enthusiasts Highway”, coined by the Bolshevik People's Commissar of Education Lunacharsky. Prior to the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, along “Vladimirka”, there were stages of those sentenced to hard labor and exile to Siberia, among whom were “revolutionaries”. In memory of them, Lunacharsky proposed to rename the Siberian tract.
The Enthusiasts Highway is undergoing permanent reconstruction. The most difficult place is the intersections with Budyonny Avenue and Electrodnaya Street. In the early morning of May 1, no problems were felt, but you can imagine what happens here on a weekday evening.

Balashikha - Noginsk. Traffic jams on M7

We leave Moscow and find ourselves in the zone of “constant traffic jams”. The name "Balashikha" has long become a common swear word in the mouths of drivers who are forced to go east. Even before entering Balashikha, the first problem awaits us - this is a left turn at the Dzerzhinsky division. A new bridge is being built here across the Gorenka River near the Mazurinskiye Ponds. In Balashikha, with its numerous traffic lights, a permanent reconstruction is underway. Overpasses are being erected at the Saltykovsky crossroads and the turn to Zhelezka Zheleznodorozhny. Life-affirming pictures with a free road were made in the early morning of May 1. Further, no difficulties were noticed up to the border of the Moscow and Vladimir regions.
On the way back on May 8, we stood to our heart's content from Noginsk to Balashikha. The problems began on the Noginsk bypass and continued with a permanent traffic jam in Staraya and Novaya Kupavna, Obukhovo and further almost to Moscow itself.

M7 in the Vladimir region

The bridge over the Kirzhach River is being repaired here. The carriageway has been narrowed to one lane in each direction. Large-scale traffic jams are possible, moreover, on weekdays due to trucks, and on weekends due to mass migrations of summer residents. The next “ambush” awaits the traveler behind the Pokrov. This is another repair of the bridge across the river Topka in the village with the euphonious name Omutishchi. From the point of view of traffic jams, the place is unpredictable. Usually the traffic in Omutishchi is weak, but on a traffic jam on May 8, I took a detour. In general, the condition of the road surface is good, even in places of repairs. Where there are none, it is simply pleasant to drive along the M7. However, you should not relax. The next repair is waiting for you between Boldino and Lakinsk. For a kilometer and a half, both lanes from Moscow are blocked. Capital work is underway here to replace not only the asphalt, but also the sand and gravel pad, because no one has touched this site since at least the 80s of the last century.

Lakinsk. Traffic jams on M7

As soon as we were glad, our valiant road builders dug up the road again and dismantled another bridge across the Undolka River. The photos were taken on the third day of the May weekend. You can imagine what happens here on weekdays.
The following picture shows a traffic jam from the side of Vladimir on May 8, 2017. It started before reaching Demidovo. Having stuck in a traffic jam for about 20 minutes, I crawled to the U-turn and left for Stavrovo. During this time, it lengthened by a good kilometer.

“Beijing”

Further, the road is kept in perfect order, including the Vladimir bypass. We went to the southern detour, and not to the northern "Beijing" with heavy traffic and traffic lights. The popular name "Beijing" appeared shortly after the war, when "Stalin and Mao listened to us ..." The "Leader" ordered the construction of a road from Moscow to Beijing.
Actually, most of the route existed long before it, because the construction of the Trans-Siberian highway began back in ... 1905 and managed to reach Chita. Then the October revolution happened, as a result of which there was simply no road to Vladivostok until the beginning of the 21st century. “Beijing” is a bypass road around Noginsk, Vladimir and Vyazniki. It is a pity that they did not manage to build around Balashikha - Mao quarreled with Khrushchev and friendship with China went apart.

On the way back, at the exit from the bypass, a sluggish traffic jam gathered. Most likely it was caused by the sign (30) and the poor condition of the asphalt on the overpass. After the bridge over the Klyazma, a real autobahn begins. Unfortunately, the speed limit here is normal, so I do not advise you to fly low. The condition of the road surface is good, in some places it is excellent. But after the Vladimir bypass highway M7 passes through the villages. Observe the speed limit. Another repair on the M7 is located in the area of ​​the Tara River. On the section 266-268 km, the asphalt is being changed on both sides of the highway. There are no traffic jams. In the Vyazniki area, cracks and pits appear on the asphalt, but they are not dangerous. Nevertheless, a global repair has been started at the Vyaznikov bypass. For 9 km, traffic is carried out in one line. The lanes towards Nizhny Novgorod are blocked. In the repair zone, for the first time, we came across a very unpleasant sign. There were no difficulties on this section on May 1 or 8. The road infrastructure is quite developed. However, the farther from Moscow, the fewer branded gas stations. In the Vladimir region, “horns and hooves” are most often encountered, but it is difficult to dry out: every 30-40 km there will definitely be Lukoil or Tatneft. In the photo, there is a Lukoil gas station near Gorokhovets. There are cafes and other eateries in almost every village, motels are also found. The entrance to the Nizhny Novgorod region is marked by a chapel. An excellent four-lane highway goes all the way to Nizhny Novgorod without narrowing or repairs.

Speed ​​control on M7

It is on this stretch of the M7 that tripods are found in abundance. Most often they are placed outside settlements. Away from the road, behind the bushes, there is a civilian car with a watchman who monitors the safety of the expensive device.

Machine separately

After turning to Dzerzhinsk, we carefully follow the signs. We need an exit to the Nizhny Novgorod bypass at the sign “Saransk. Kazan”. In the village of Lesnaya Polyana, turn right and go to the bypass. I will tell about the section of the path from Nizhny Novgorod to Cheboksary in the next part -.