I traveled very little by car in Russia. Almost all trips outside the Belgorod region were limited to the M-4 highway (from Moscow to Krasnodar). I am one of those who believe in stereotypes about "bad roads" in our country, and therefore I try to avoid traveling on them. But we firmly decided to go to Chechnya by car. Half of the way (to Rostov-on-Don) promised to be expectedly good, but I did not find any unambiguous reviews on the network about the road along the "Kavkaz". Therefore, having morally tuned in to a bad road, we hit the road.
1
. A few kilometers after the exit from the M-4, the track began to justify my expectations, narrowing down to two lanes with a very uneven surface. The navigator showed more than 700 kilometers to the destination, and I was a little depressed. However, at some point we were lucky - a cortege of seven police cars rushing by with flashing lights on pressed a string of endless heavy trucks to the side of the road and we were able to slip through them.
2 . However, the joy was short-lived - soon areas with repair work began to come across, and that's when I was completely depressed. Somewhere near Tikhoretsk, the flow rate generally decreased to 20 kilometers per hour, and then all traffic moved to the side of the road. “If it goes on like this, then I will turn around and take you to the Crimea!” I told Natasha. But, fortunately, my patience turned out to be longer than the narrow strip of M-29, and already at the entrance to the Novokubansky district, an asphalt sea opened before us - a wide strip of fresh asphalt with divided traffic flows. In total, only the first 90 kilometers of the federal highway "Kavkaz" turned out to be "bad".
4 . The mood improved along with the quality of the coverage, and the stereotype of "bad Russian roads" was left behind. At some point, we even began to admire the scale of road construction. Fresh cards Navitela, loaded two days before the trip, could not always correctly indicate the route. Sometimes the navigator showed that we were driving through a field, although in practice this field already represented a good section of the highway. Somewhere after the Minvod, we got to the first of the sections with a maximum speed limit of 110 km / h. There will be a few more on our way.
The chagrin was caused by the M-29 section, about a hundred kilometers long, which runs through the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria. And he upset not so much the quality of the road surface, but the werewolves in uniform grazing behind each bush. In Kabardino-Balkaria, the Kavkaz highway consists of three lanes (obviously, it was decided to save money on a full-fledged fourth). They alternate - now two lanes for our side, then two for the opposite. That is middle lane- these are such pockets for overtaking, the ability to slip through the row of trucks that have accumulated in front of you. On one of these stretches I got caught - out of habit I saw an expansion ahead, I overtook, but already completing the maneuver, I realized that it was a lane for turning left. Having dived from it into the right lane, after a couple of hundred meters, I was stopped by happy men with a striped stick, who had gathered an impressive column of the same "raiders" like me on the side of the road.
Here, for the first time in my Russian practice, I had to give a bribe. In all seriousness, for almost five years of driving experience, no one demanded a bribe from me, I thought that this was no longer the case in our country. Yeah, how! Local gays taught me all the basics of extortion, and I, not wanting to waste time, paid off.
By the way, on the way back home, we were also caught in Kabardino-Balkaria! Moreover, realizing that I am savvy in the knowledge of the laws, and it will not work to hit the jackpot for the alleged “violation”, the local cop (I don’t dare to call these scammers “cops”) got to the bottom of my outstanding fines and offered to go to the impound. In the end, knocking down his original price tag three times, I still paid and left.
In general, I don’t know anything about Kabardino-Balkaria, but now I have persistently unpleasant associations with it. Therefore, no photos. We uncovered the camera only at the entrance to North Ossetia.
6 . In Ossetia, roads are also being actively reconstructed. Many fresh plots, many under construction.
7 . True, after the bridge across the Terek there is a section of thirty kilometers (by eye), which consists of only two lanes. There accumulates such a good string of trucks. For some reason, we have practically no photos from bad sections, only brand new sections of the motorway aroused the desire to take pictures.
8 . For example, such. Somewhere at the entrances to Beslan, so many new interchanges were built that even Navitel did not know about them.
9 . I also liked that in many sections of the "Kavkaz" concrete barriers are used for dividing lines. This is very correct, it is a pity that such an experience is not practiced in our area.
10 . Ten kilometers from Beslan along the M-29 highway there is a large checkpoint. Having passed it, we gradually began to notice that something had changed in the surrounding landscape, but for a long time we could not understand what exactly ... It turned out that there was no clearly marked border between North Ossetia and Ingushetia, there were no noticeable signs informing about it. But the contrast between Orthodox Ossetia and Muslim Ingushetia is noticeable in many ways - in the architecture of buildings, in clothes and appearance local residents.
11 . Along Nazran, the road stretches in a narrow strip, where you can often meet cows that are “impenetrable” in their calmness. Another interesting local feature is the roadside poles painted in the colors of the Ingush and Russian flags along the way.
12 . In time we go to new plot roads. “Oh, we are probably already in Chechnya”— joking with Natasha. However, this is still the Ingush Republic. There is also no clear border between Chechnya and Ingushetia.
13 . When there is no doubt that we have entered Chechnya, the road becomes ideal. A good autobahn with a permitted 110 kilometers per hour pleases us for a long time.
14. At the entrances to Grozny, however, the road narrows again to a two-lane one. Here, by the way, the vast majority tries to keep the speed limit, and traffic police crews met several times at intersections. But we have almost arrived and we are not in a hurry.
15 . We are approaching Grozny. Here M-29 continues to go straight towards Dagestan. We will soon turn left.
16 . The last few kilometers to the city limits.
17 . In the unreconstructed areas, work is in full swing.
18 . Here we are in Grozny. 770 kilometers along the M-29, of which most are good and very good road. My fears about "one of the main Russian troubles" on the "Kavkaz" highway were in vain. I am sure that in the next few years the problem areas will also be expanded, new asphalt will be laid where necessary, and this federal highway will be no worse than the M-4. Bribery in some areas still needs to be dealt with ...
Well, about Grozny and Chechnya, local roads and customs, I will tell you next time. By the way, you can ask your questions about the Chechen Republic in the comments, I will try to tell based on personal experience.
I don’t think there is much to tell about the M4 Don - all community members will pass it with eyes closed with an average speed of 110 km/h. The problems are the same - the Voronezh rim and the Tarasovsky district, where a meat accident happened at the narrowing place in front of us.
By territory Krasnodar Territory"Caucasus" is an ordinary unpleasant Russian two-lane road, on every hill and turn of which traffic police officers graze. Interestingly, the quality continues to improve.
The Stavropol Territory is unremarkable. The road is good, there are a lot of cops, but they don’t slow down for no reason. On the outskirts of the region are the so-called resort towns Mineralnye Vody and Pyatigorsk. Essentuki - a little further. It is not worth staying in these cities, and there are practically no places in filthy hotels, and from what they have, they cost some incredible money.
Kabardino-Balkaria. A small traffic police post, a selective stop, we are passing. Suddenly, clear fourteenth and no less clear priors appear on the roads. Tinted, of course, in a circle. According to subjective impressions, black is preferred in the republic
Here they drive either slowly or boldly - they do not hesitate to go completely into the oncoming lane and thrash in the forehead to the last. Driving in the traffic lane is zapadlo.
And the road is getting better - already a permanent 4-lane road with a separator.
At the entrance to North Ossetia there is the most serious checkpoint on the way from Moscow to Tbilisi. They slow everyone down, including us. I previously, back in Essentuki, put me behind the wheel mexdrive to doubly divert the attention of gaytsov. The plan worked, but every next, even the smallest Ossetian post, was ours. No one looked at the documents - they only pretended.
Immediately after Vladikavkaz, the mountains begin.
In front of the Verkhny Lars checkpoint, they stood in line for 2 hours, including because of the assholes who consider it beneath their dignity to stand with everyone. The same thing happened on the reverse side. We skipped back without a queue.
Checkpoint passage. Everything seems to be serious. They didn’t dig into the convertible, but they took a symbolic 500 rubles from the Range without a total search.
They didn’t lie about the Georgian checkpoint “Kazbegi” - you open the window, hold out your passport, smile at the webcam and drive calmly.
What's in a nutshell
The M29 "Kavkaz" highway is a dick, no one extorts money and does not shoot in the head, at least in the section to Vladikavkaz. The most serious post is Kabardino-Balkaria - North Ossetia.
The federal highway P217 "Caucasus" is the hottest highway in our country. It is picturesque and not easy. Frequent descents and ascents, giant serpentines and crossing the boundaries of various areas require the constant attention of drivers.
The P217 is part of various European and Asian routes. The segment from the village of Pavlovskaya to Makhachkala is part of the long, European route E-50. It stretches from the shores of the Bay of Biscay to the Caspian Sea, and is approximately 6,000 km long. Another European route E-117 includes the road from Beslan to mineral waters, and the Asian route AN-8 and the interesting European route E-119 include a small segment of the path from Makhachkala to Magaramkent (border with Azerbaijan). In addition, the P217 "Kavkaz" highway joins the M4 "Don" highway near the village of Pavlovskaya.
The total length of the M29 highway is approximately 1118 km.
The temperature regime is even, favorable. Hot summers and mild winters with little snow.
On the way, the P217 highway crosses the rivers: Kuban, Argun and Terek.
Since the M29 runs in a mountainous area, there are many dangerous sections on it. Drivers should pay special attention to the following: 179, 216, 372, 488, 539, 558, 579, 797, 857, 861, 882, 937, 939, 970, 991 km.
In general, the P217 "Kavkaz" route leaves a good impression. Happy with the road surface. The downside is the width of the roadway. Mainly two-lane throughout the entire length of the M-29 highway does not leave much room for overtaking.
Quality rest is the key to safety on the road
This motorway is familiar to everyone who made car trips to the most picturesque region of Russia - the Caucasus. This region attracts tourists, because there is everything you need for the most varied recreation- mountains, sea, beautiful nature, wonderful climate. True, to get to these places, you need to cross a difficult highway, which is distinguished by a series of numerous descents and ascents, serpentine roads and the presence of dangerous sections. Of course, all these conditions require maximum attention from the driver and the ability to quickly navigate the situation.
But, making long journeys, each person, even with a long driving experience, is not immune from fatigue and overwork, which negatively affect the functions of perception. Only quality rest can help the traveler gain strength. Cozy motels on the M29 highway are designed to create the most comfortable accommodation conditions for every tourist, so that any tired traveler can the best way recover from a grueling journey.
A wide range of roadside hotels for every taste
If you are interested in motels on the M29 highway, where you can get the most warm welcome, and, of course, to have a hearty dinner, sleep peacefully, take a hot bath, then look at our online guide, which describes in detail the best options for roadside hotels located throughout the Kavkaz highway. By marking on the site the region in which you plan to make a rest stop, you will receive a list of motels on the M29 highway. Among them, you can quickly choose the best option that meets all your requirements.
We have motels on the M29 highway for every taste and budget. These are both small economical, but at the same time the most modern hotels offering comfortable accommodation conditions and a high level of service, as well as hotel and entertainment complexes, in the arsenal of which there is everything for spending active leisure - baths, saunas, tennis courts and GYM's. If you want to stay in a hotel that is notable for its exquisite interior, original cuisine, unique SPA center, then this is real, there are such luxurious hotels on the M29 highway. Book rooms in advance and relax in comfort.
Federal highway M-29 "Caucasus" (number valid until December 31, 2017), new number of the route R-217 "Caucasus". The road runs through the territories of the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Chechnya, Dagestan. M-29 public highway joins with federal highway M-4 and starts from the village of Pavlovskaya in the Krasnodar Territory and ends in Magaramkent, Dagestan, on the border with Azerbaijan.The total length of the M-29 highway is 1118 kilometers. The Pavlovskaya-Makhachkala section of the road is part of the European route E 50. The section of the Makhachkala-Azerbaijani border highway is part of the European route E 119 and the Asian route AH8.
At the 229th kilometer of the highway, near the village of Kochubeevsky, the A-155 road leaves for Cherkessk, the capital of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. At the 233rd kilometer of the Kavkaz highway there is a turn onto the A-154 road, which goes to Stavropol. At the 559th kilometer near the city of Beslan, the third largest city in North Ossetia, there is a turn onto the A-301 highway in the direction of Vladikavkaz. The route has entrances to the cities of Armavir, Grozny, as well as bypasses of the cities of Pyatigorsk and Makhachkala. The federal highway M-29 ends at the state border Russian Federation and Azerbaijan. Last locality here is the village of Gaptsakh, which is located 6 km north of the district center - the village of Magaramkent.
The road, with a carriageway width of 8 meters, runs in mountainous terrain, and has an asphalt concrete coating along its entire length. There are sections on the road that require special care from drivers, this is reported on the signs. At km 1164, the road enters a 1.8 km long tunnel.
The route crosses several rivers, significant of them are: near the city of Kropotkin, the Kuban River; the Terek river near the village of Elkhotovo; the Argun River near the city of the same name. Load capacity of bridges from 60 tons.
M-29 "Kavkaz" is the main highway of the North Caucasus.
