In 2023, one of the most awaited long-construction projects in NAA—the Naryan-Mar–Usinsk highway—was completed. It started being constructed back in 1985, but it took almost 38 years for the road to become operational. It is a great celebration for the people of the region, and for the rest of the Arctic, it is an example of how even the most difficult and drawn-out project can be realised.

Why was it so difficult?

Arctic roads are a great challenge for modern civilisation, with all its new technologies, gigantic road-building expertise and developed understanding of how and what needs to be built efficiently. The first and foremost opponent of the road network in the polar region is the permafrost. It behaves unpredictably—vehicle traffic heats it up, which eliminates the monolithic layer of soil under the highway. This leads to displacement and destruction of the surface, cracks and pits. If there is a thaw, the topsoil can turn into a real quagmire and a piece of the road can easily 'float away' a couple of metres to the side. This can happen all of a sudden and accidents cannot be avoided.

The tundra under the road needs to be stabilised, which requires modern technology. When building houses, such as in Norilsk, refrigeration systems are used to prevent the soil from sagging during the thaw. Unfortunately, for a few hundred kilometres of highway, this technology is not feasible due to its complexity, high cost and short range. There are several solutions to this problem. One of the most common is that the roadbed is formed from concrete slabs laid on a fairly high embankment. It prevents the ground from warming up from traffic, and the slabs are sufficiently monolithic structures that they can ignore small changes in the ground. However, even these are not a panacea: a too-large slab can cause the road to subside, resulting in a 'ravine' that could easily leave important vehicle parts unnoticed.

Another option for solving the problem is to choose carefully the path the road will take. In the swampy areas of the tundra covered by peat slab, the latter does not thaw even in summer, making it a stable base for the road. The obvious disadvantage is that the highway should still connect settlements and take the shortest route possible, rather than winding through the vast expanses of the Arctic in search of convenient soils. Scientists are also coming to the rescue, inventing new materials. For example, in 2022, domestic experts from the Moscow Steel and Alloy Institute (MISIS) proposed adding metallurgical waste to concrete, which radically increases its strength. In this combination, it does not freeze, is stronger than usual, withstands extreme temperature fluctuations and is weakly affected by ice and water. While the invention is being tested, there is still no single, universal solution to the problem.

What is taking so long?

The second problem of Arctic roads is the complexity of construction. Imagine yourself at the construction site of the Naryan-Mar–Usinsk highway. During 'warm' Arctic summers, it is impossible to carry out work as the tundra 'melts away,' turning into a swamp the size of several small European countries. So you have to work in the winter. We're in for a piercing wind, constant cold below –20°C, snowfall and a polar night. We are not in the city but in an open space, working outdoors for hours at a time.

In addition to the extreme workload of the workers, construction is also hampered by ongoing problems with machinery. No matter how new and modern the excavators, graders, drilling rigs and all-terrain vehicles are, the Arctic spares nothing. Often the machines are repaired on site, but there are times when you have to send them in for service and bring in new ones, which lengthens the construction process considerably. And then there's the quality control...

All 200 km of the Naryan-Mar–Usinsk highway were closely examined during construction for compliance with arctic construction standards. Gravel and concrete samples were tested in a special laboratory, as they have to withstand the extreme temperatures of the Arctic. Now add to the cocktail the need to rebuild (and build new) bridges and special drainage channels for the hundreds of streams that turn into full-fledged rivers during floods. The project ended up taking just four years, from 2019 to 2023, and that's very fast.

Why? And so...

The Arctic regions are now, for objective reasons, at the bottom of the ranking in terms of the number of roads. In Taimyr, the road density is 350 times lower than the national average, while Chukotka lags behind 46.2 times and NAA 33.6 times. The situation is much better in the Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and Karelia regions, as they are directly connected to the road network of the European part of Russia. However, there is a backlog there as well. The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) holds a peculiar record, with 90% of its territory in the 'seasonal service' zone, i.e. winter roads are used in cold weather.

This situation is being addressed at all levels, from the head of state to municipalities, involving thousands of scientists, research institutes, large corporations and small start-ups. Building roads in the Arctic is a great challenge for modern civilisation, and the knowledge and technology at our disposal are still insufficient to overcome it. In the meantime, the builders are tackling the tundra, albeit slowly and with difficulty, but for the benefit of the people.