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Between Novosibirsk and Biysk the road follows the right bank of the Ob River, then traverses a steppe region and the Altay Mountains, where it continues through the altitudes of up to 2000 metres.
On November 17, 2010, in accordance with Government Resolution 928, the M52 was given a new designation, R256 (in Cyrillic Р256); the M52 designation was used until the end of 2017 when the highway was officially designated as R256.
Chuya Highway
The Chuya Highway or Chuysky Trakt (Чуйский тракт) is the old name of the road connecting Russia and Mongolia.
The part of the Р256 road from Biysk to Tashanta is traditionally referred to as the Chuya Highway or Chuysky Trakt. This part of the road is 610km long.
The Chuya Highway is laid over the ranges of Altai Mountains along the rivers Katun and Chuya, over Seminsky and Chike-Taman mountain passes.
This route had been pretty rough; the carriage way was erected only in the early 20th century.
Prior to that it was where the northern caravan tracks of the Great Silk Road passed. The caravans followed the routes formed along the migration ways of wild animals.
Main stages of construction
Spring 1901 – construction of the Chuya Highway started.
Middle 1903 – the carriage way between Ongudai and Kosh-Agach was finished.
Summer 1913 года – engineering of the highway started. It was interrupted by World War I.
In autumn 1932 prisoners from Department 7 of Siberian prison camps (SibLAGs) were the main manpower along the whole Chuya Highway.
January 1, 1935, was commissioned along its entire length (Biysk – Maima – Ust-Sema – Cherga – Ongudai – Inya – Kosh-Agach).
The whole highway was coated with asphalt in the early 21st century.
Role
The Chuya Highway is the major infrastructural object of the Altai Republic where there is no railway. The Chuya Highway is basically the most important and stressed road connecting the region with its neighbours.
Tourism is the principal activity in Altai. Apart from commercial connections, the Chuya highway ensures traffic convenience for tourists and travelers.
Tourism
The most visited objects along the Chuya Highway include:
Manzherok mountain ski resort
Chike-Taman mountain pass
Chuya and Katun rivers junction
Petroglyphs of Kalbak-Tash ecosite
Geyser lake
Colourful mountains Kysyl-Chin
Flow of tourist
During the USSR period hiking was the most popular in Altai. The Chuya highway was the starting point of a lot of hiking routes: to Shavla lakes, Aktru glacier, etc. The majority of hikers arrived from the USSR itself. Only a few of them arrived from the Baltic States and Eastern Germany.
In the early 2000, after the Chuya highway was asphalted along its entire length, the number of tourists from Russia increased manifold. In the beginning they were mostly from the nearest regions (Novosibirsk, Tomsk, the Kuzbas). Those visitors got the information from their friends. Starting from 2005 Altai the flow of visitors from the central Russia started.
Starting from 2014 foreigners started to flood Altai. This was encouraged by a couple of important events:
National Geographic included the Chuya highway into the list of 10 most spectacular highways of the world (position 5)
In 2018 the information about Altai was published in the European mass media where it was widely discussed due to the investigation on corruption in relation to Igor Dodon.
Chuysky Trakt
Chyusky Trakt with North Chuya Range
Chike-Taman Pass
Old name of the road M52
Chyusky Trakt
Seminsky pass
Panorama from the Chike-Taman pass in the south direction
Panorama from the Chike-Taman pass in the north direction
Note: Routes marked with § are having sections in the Russian-occupied regions of Eastern and Southern Ukraine (Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, etc.)
Related Research Articles
The Ob is a major river in Russia. It is in western Siberia; and together with Irtysh forms the world's seventh-longest river system, at 5,410 kilometres (3,360 mi). It forms at the confluence of the Biya and Katun which have their origins in the Altai Mountains. It is the westernmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean. Its flow is north-westward, then northward.
The Altai Mountains, also spelled Altay Mountains, are a mountain range in Central Asia and Eastern Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan converge, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob have their headwaters. The massif merges with the Sayan Mountains in the northeast, and gradually becomes lower in the southeast, where it merges into the high plateau of the Gobi Desert. It spans from about 45° to 52° N and from about 84° to 99° E.
Biysk is a city in Altai Krai, Russia, located on the Biya River not far from its confluence with the Katun River. It is the second largest city of the krai. Population: 183,852 (2021 Census); 210,115 (2010 Census); 218,562 (2002 Census); 233,238 (1989 Census).
The Altai Republic, also known as Gorno-Altai Republic, and colloquially, and primarily referred to in Russian to distinguish from the neighbouring Altai Krai as the Gornyi Altai, is a republic of Russia located in southern Siberia. The republic borders the Russian federal subjects of Kemerovo Oblast to the north, Khakassia to the northeast, Tuva to the east, Altai Krai to the west, as well it borders three countries: Mongolia to the southeast, China to the south and Kazakhstan to the southwest. It is a part of the Siberian Federal District, and covers an area of 92,903 square kilometers (35,870 sq mi), with a population of 210,924 residents. It is the least-populous republic of Russia and least-populous federal subject in the Siberian Federal District. Gorno-Altaysk is the capital and the largest town of the republic.
The Katun is a river in the Altai Republic and the Altai Krai of Russia. It forms the Ob as it joins the Biya some 19 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of Biysk. The Katun is 688 kilometres (428 mi) long, and its drainage basin covers 60,900 square kilometres (23,500 sq mi). It originates in the Katun glaciers on the southwestern slope of Belukha Mountain. The river freezes up in late November or early December and breaks up in early or mid-April. The main tributaries of the Katun are, from source to mouth: Koksa (left), Kucherla (right), Argut (right), Chuya (right), Ursul (left), Sema (left) and Isha (right). The river is navigable.
Telengits or Telengut are a Turkic ethnic group primarily found in the Altai Republic, Russia. Telengits mainly live in a territory of Kosh-Agach District of the Altai Republic. They are part of a larger cultural group of Southern Altaians which include Altai-Kizhi and Tolos.
The Chuya Steppe in the Siberian Altai Mountains is a depression formed by tectonic movement of major faults in the Earth's crust. Its name comes from the large river which runs through the steppe, the Chuya River.
Belokurikha is a town and a balneological resort in the Altai region of Russia, located on the Belokurikha River 250 kilometers (160 mi) south of Barnaul, the administrative center of the krai. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 14,661.
Siilhem Mountains, or Sailughem, is a mountain range in the southeastern part of Altai Mountains, Russia, on the border of Altai Republic and Mongolia.
Ukok Plateau is a plateau covered by grasslands located in southwestern Siberia, in the Altai Mountains region of Russia near the borders with China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The plateau is recognized as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site entitled Golden Mountains of Altai as an important environmental treasure. It provides a habitat for many of the world's endangered species including one of its least studied predatory animals: the snow leopard. Other endangered species protected there include the argali mountain sheep, the steppe eagle, and the black stork. It is also one of the last remaining remnants of the mammoth steppe. There are several threats to the preservation of the Ukok Plateau, including overuse of the steppe by ranchers, a proposed road, and plans for a gas pipeline between China and Russia.
The Siberian Route, also known as the Moscow Highway and Great Highway, was a historic route that connected European Russia to Siberia and China.
The Chuya is a river in the Altai Republic in Russia, a right tributary of the Katun. The Chuya is 320 kilometres (200 mi) long, and its drainage basin covers 11,200 square kilometres (4,300 sq mi). The river freezes in October or early November and thaws in late April. The town Kosh-Agach lies on the Chuya. The Chuya Highway (R256) runs through its valley. One of its tributaries is the Chibitka.
South Central Siberia is a geographical region north of the point where Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia come together.
Altaysky District is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the fifty-nine in Altai Krai, Russia. It is located in the southeast of the krai. The area of the district is 3,400 square kilometers (1,300 sq mi). Its administrative center is the rural locality of Altayskoye. Population: 25,645 (2010 Census); 26,984 (2002 Census); 26,287 (1989 Census). The population of Altayskoye accounts for 53.5% of the district's total population.
The Altai flood refers to the cataclysmic flood(s) that, according to some geomorphologists, swept along the Katun River in the Altai Republic at the end of the last ice age. These glacial lake outburst floods were the result of periodic sudden ruptures of ice dams like those triggering the Missoula floods.
Saylyugemsky National Park sits at the mountainous "X" where the borders of Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China meet in the Altai Mountains of central Asia. Because of its remoteness and position at the meeting points of mountains, steppes, desert and forest, it is a globally important natural reserve for biodiversity. The park was formally established in 2010–2012, with a particular purpose of protecting the vulnerable Altai argali mountain sheep and the endangered Snow leopard. The component Saylyugem Mountains are a ridge of the Altai, and stretch to the northeast to the Sayan Mountains. The climate is cold and semi-arid. Administratively, the park is located in the Kosh-Agachsky District of the Altai Republic. While ecotourism has a stated role, visits to the territory currently require special passes from park administration, and activities are limited to roads and trails.
The Begemoth rapid are Class 5 rapids on the Chuya River in the Altai mountains, Russia. The length of the rapid is approximately 400 meters. Begemoth Rapid is located close to the Federal Highway R256 and it is easily accessible from the road. It is one of the three most difficult rapids in that part of Chuya River together with Turbinny Rapid and Horizon Rapid.
The Turbinny Rapid are Class 4 or 5 rapid on the Chuya River in the Altai mountains, Russia. Turbinny Rapid is located close to the Federal Highway R256 near the 371 kilometer sign. The total length of the rapid is about 25 meters and the drop is around 4 meters. It is one of the three most difficult rapids in that part of Chuya River together with Behemoth Rapid and Horizon Rapid.
The Horizon Rapid are Class 5 rapid on the Chuya River in the Altai mountains, Russia. Horizon Rapid is located close to the Federal Highway R256 near the 371 kilometer sign. It is located right after Turbinny Rapid in 600 meters down to the river. The total length of the rapid is about 200 meters and the drop is around 5–6 meters. It is one of the three most difficult rapids in that part of Chuya River together with Behemoth Rapid and Turbinny Rapid.
Zudilovo is a selo in Pervomaysky District of Altai Krai, Russia.
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