YAKUTSK, May 13. /TASS/. Scientists of the Arctic Research Center in Yakutia will develop a digital model of the Yana winter road route under the Eastern Meridian project, the center's Director Nadezhda Krasilnikova told TASS.

The Eastern Meridian project to develop transport infrastructures with access to the Northern Sea Route (NSR) is being implemented in Yakutia's central Arctic Zone. The infrastructure development is connected with the construction of a small modular reactor in the village of Ust-Kuiga to satisfy demand from subsurface users working on projects in the Kyuchussky industrial cluster.

"Scientists of Yakutia's Arctic Research Center, supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, will develop a digital model and will implement an automated navigation system for the Topolinoe - Prognoz - Batagai - Ust-Kuiga route for the state-owned Roads of the Arctic," the center's director said.

In compliance with a decree of Yakutia's Governor Aisen Nikolaev "On accelerated development of Yakutia's transport and energy infrastructures," the task is to complete the first stage of the Eastern Meridian project by 2030 with the construction of an extended-term Yana regional winter road of 884 km long.

According to the center, the Eastern Meridian project involves the construction and operation of an extended-term regional winter road of 884 km long before 2030, with the further construction of a year-round road (2031-2050) along the route Prognoz field - Batagai (the Verkhoyansky District) - Ust-Kuiga (the Ust-Yansky District) - Naiba and Tiksi (the Bulunsky District).

"The projected Northern Sea Route cargo traffic in Yakutia will amount to 1,022,500 tons. The existing promising mining base along the Eastern Meridian highway is estimated at 5.2 trillion rubles ($70 billion). The cost of building an extended-term winter road is estimated at 5.2 billion rubles ($70 million), and 120 billion rubles ($1.6 billion) - the construction of the year-round road," the center added.

The project's importance

The task for scientists is to support the development of a stable terrestrial network for the Arctic Zone's transport accessibility, the center's director continued, adding scientists, together with experts of the Moscow Automobile and Road Engineering State Technical University (MADI) would begin working on the project in 2026 already.

Specialists will collect data, develop systems to consolidate and process monitoring and forecasting the road's operation in a seasonal mode. "In our opinion, this will improve the reliability of winter roads of the Yana highway area in relation to investment projects and the Northern Supplies program, will put together scientific foundation for construction and operation of a year-round 5th-category highway," she added.

Winter roads in Yakutia serve most cargo delivery routes. Transport infrastructures in Yakutia's Arctic regions have a clear seasonal dependence, where effective transport communication gives way to the actual isolation of settlements and industrial facilities, the project's scientific leader Professor Nadezhda Filippova said. According to her, winter roads play a key role in ensuring connectivity of remote settlements with big logistics hubs in delivering vital goods.

"It is worth mentioning a catastrophic shortage of amphibious all-terrain vehicles, a critical shortage of year-round paved road infrastructures and of innovative transport," she added.