Road Surface

The maintenance and repair of roads are the responsibilities of another organization within the Moscow City Utility Complex—the State Budgetary Institution "Avtomobilnye Dorogi" ("Automobile Roads").

In 2018, this organization was listed in the Guinness World Records as the largest road maintenance organization. Approximately 8,500 units of equipment are used to maintain the roads.

The institution's main activities include cleaning and maintaining Moscow's roads. In summer, this involves washing and mechanical sweeping of roadways and sidewalks; cleaning sidewalks, parking lots, passenger transport stops, and roadsides from various debris.

During summer temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius, watering machines spray water upwards to cool the asphalt and hot air.

The main tasks of winter road maintenance are snow removal, clearing compacted snow and ice, and keeping road surfaces and elements in good repair.

In our museum, you can try yourself as an "Avtodor" employee by performing various street-cleaning tasks across different seasons while driving a real Holder street-cleaning machine.

Major road repairs are also the concern of specialists within the Moscow City Utility Complex.

The road pavement is a multi-layered "cake." At the bottom is geotextile, preventing moisture from penetrating the pavement structure. Next is a sand bedding layer serving as drainage. Above is crushed stone material distributing the load on the road. A geogrid is then laid over the crushed stone, which melts during asphalt concrete laying, ensuring adhesion. At the top is a two-layer asphalt concrete coating. The thickness of this "road cake" corresponds to the frost penetration depth in the construction area, about 1 meter for Moscow.

Information on road surface conditions in Moscow is collected using unique equipment—the "Automated Road Scanner," developed by scientists at the Moscow Automobile and Road Institute. The laboratory can operate year-round and around the clock. Road repairs do not commence until the road has been examined by the scanner.

High-quality roads are key to safety. City services pay great attention to ensuring residents' safety. You can learn how Moscow's rescuers work in the next exhibition section.