A traffic jam stretching up to 85 kilometers has formed on the federal R-258 Baikal highway between Buryatia and the Irkutsk region. According to the outlet Veter, the backup runs from Kultuk in the Irkutsk region to Vydrino in Buryatia. The area has been hit for three days by freezing temperatures, heavy snow and wind.
The Yuzhny Baikal road authority said the severe weather created major difficulties for traffic, and that congestion, mainly involving trucks, had persisted for a second day on the section from kilometer 100 to kilometer 184. The agency also said the situation was worsened by truck drivers entering the oncoming lane, preventing road crews from clearing the highway quickly enough.
Deputy head of the agency Zorikto Lenkhoboev told journalists that with freight traffic having risen by 2.7 times compared with 2019, even a single accident involving a truck can trigger a transport collapse. Meteorologists, according to the agency, expect the harsh weather to continue at least until December 2.
On December 1, Irkutsk region governor Igor Kobzev said traffic had been restored in both directions. He said six combined road service vehicles and two graders were working on the route, traffic police crews were directing vehicles manually, and mobile heating and food points had been opened for drivers and passengers.
“In seven and a half hours we moved 100 meters and are still standing. Yes, they say we will be moving soon. And nothing happens,” driver Ivan told Veter.
Drivers stuck in the jam, however, said traffic had not truly resumed. A woman identified as Elena said she had been stuck heading toward Ulan-Ude from the morning until late evening, and that calls to 112 were of no help. Another driver, Yekaterina, said many people got out only by driving into the oncoming lane “at their own risk”; she called official statements about reopened traffic “a complete deception” and estimated that more than 200 trucks were stranded.
Witnesses also reported that many cars with children were trapped on the highway and running low on fuel and water. On the evening of December 1, Buryatia’s Emergencies Ministry acknowledged that traffic was still difficult on the section from kilometer 149 to kilometer 168 of the Baikal highway, and advised people to avoid travel in that direction and stop in advance at heating and food points if they were already on the road.