The ceremony of traffic opening on the third launch complex of the Central Ring Road (CRR-3) with a length of more than 105 kilometers was held on November 11. This CRR section was constructed from scratch and became the most state-of-the-art smart highway where traffic is controlled from a single center. Now drivers are able not only to drive from M-11 Neva to M-7 Volga in less than an hour at a speed of 110 km/h, but also to receive the relevant information about the road conditions on road display panels.
Persons who were the first to get details about the capabilities of the smart road and who participated in the ceremony of traffic opening:
• Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergey Ivanov;
• Assistant to the President of Russia Igor Levitin;
• Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Central Federal District Igor Shchegolev;
• Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Marat Khusnullin;
• Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Vitaly Saveliev;
• Minister for Construction, Housing and Municipal Infrastructure of the Russian Federation Irek Fayzullin;
• Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov;
• Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Nikolay Zhuravlev;
• Chairman of the Committee on Transport and Construction of State Duma Evgeny Moskvichev;
• Head of the Federal Authority for Transport Oversight Victor Basargin;
• Chairman of the Board of the State Company Avtodor Vyacheslav Petushenko;
• Member of the Supervisory Board of the State Company Avtodor Evgeny Dietrich (Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation from 2018 to 2020);
• Deputy Chairman of the Board of Gazprom PJSC Vitaly Markelov.
Before opening the traffic on the CRR-3, the interaction of self-driving car with intelligent infrastructure had been tested. The self-driving car during the movement received information from special sensors integrated into the road. The car was controlled by an operator from the CRR Central Control Room.
The capabilities of the Central Control Room (CCR) on the traffic situation monitoring were demonstrated.
The honored guests emphasized the project importance for Russia.
Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergey Ivanov noted that the environmental situation in Moscow would improve with the CRR-3 opening. This is primarily due to the fact that most semi-trailer trucks will transfer from the MRR to the CRR that will benefit the environment.
Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Igor Levitin said that he was glad that the project succeeded.
He remembered that in 2004, when he was the Minister of Transport, the issue of toll highways and highway frame development in Russia was raised for the first time.
And in 2020, we opened the CRR section which is an element of a smart infrastructure with sensors and elements of the intelligent transport system, Levitin said.
Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Central Federal District Igor Shchegolev drew attention to the most important challenge of road safety increase. According to him, the CRR-3 fully complies with the instructions of the President. "I also identify myself as a resident of Moscow and Moscow region and believe that this is a present for all who live and come to Moscow region. Eventually, the road provides for new jobs and higher economic efficiency. I would like to congratulate everyone again and wish not to slow down, as we are looking forward to the completion of the whole highway," Igor Shchegolev said.
Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Marat Khusnullin said his words of congratulation with the opening of the Third Launch Complex and noted that more than half of the CRR would function fully from that day, and about 100 kilometers would be launched by the year-end.
Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Vitaly Saveliev also came into congratulations and noted the contribution of three thousand experts who participated in the construction of the Third Launch Complex. He emphasized the uniqueness of the highway where five wildlife crossings, 47 motorway junctions, and 17 bridges were constructed, as well as the Free Flow intelligent system was launched that would allow passing the toll collection frames without the need to stop.
According to Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov, the experience of the CRR construction showed the right way to improve the regulatory framework. He also stated that the CRR was a serious transit highway which should significantly unload the roads adjusting to Moscow and, certainly, provide more comfortable travel for every person.
Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Nikolay Zhuravlev drew attention to the fact that the Third Launch Complex was the most technically equipped CRR section.
Chairman of the State Company Avtodor Vyacheslav Petushenko thanked all who participated in the design and construction of the Third Launch Complex, who gave momentum to the project at the country's leadership level, so it became possible to launch traffic on this highway section this year.
The CCR is a part of the road traffic automated control system. This is the heart of highway control which receives information from sensors and cameras on traffic flows density, foreign objects on the road, and emergency situations. Seven weather stations located along the highway allow accurately predict the weather change for the next four hours and promptly communicate with utility service providers for the road cleaning and treatment, if necessary.
All this data is transmitted via the most advanced communication system using V2X technology and allowing connection coverage for all the road sections. With its help, the information important for the road users is displayed on electronic display panels along the highway and is sent to car computers connected to the road infrastructure and special applications on the drivers' smartphones. The system also allows clearly organizing the work of emergency commissioners and other emergency services, as they automatically receive messages on incidents in real-time mode.
The four-lane highway with 69 engineering structures with a total length of 6,831 meters, including five wildlife crossings, 47 motorway junctions, and 17 bridges became the basis for this system. They include a unique structure – a bridge over the Moscow Canal the total length of which is 1,410 meters.
A barrier-free toll system is applied for increasing traffic capacity, which operates on the Free Flow principle. It automatically classifies the vehicles and recognizes license plates and issues bills which may be paid via the mobile application, personal account on the website, or using the transponder.
A single toll collection system (STCS) used at the CRR-3 unites all toll highways of the country into an integral system that makes Avtodor able to develop and launch complex tariff offers.
The CRR-3 connects M-11 Neva, M-8 Kholmogory and M-7 Volga highways and is a central section of the Europe – Western China International Transport Route (EWC ITR).
The project was funded on the principles of public and private partnership. The total volume of capital expenditures (101 billion rubles) amounted to about 21 billion rubles of the federal budget subsidies, about 38.5 billion rubles of funds of the National Wealth Fund, and about 41.3 billion rubles of private investor funds.
