PROBLEMS AND METHODS OF ROAD BUILDING AND MAINTENANCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00047R000400560008-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 25, 2013
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: July 13, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/04/25 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400560008-7
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CLASSIFICATION CONFID TTIAL
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE' AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY USSR
SUBJECT Problems And: Methods of. Read Building:. and
Maintenance
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE
ACQUIRED BY SOURCE
DATE OF INFORMATION
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SOURCE
DATE DISTR. /1. Sv l y /9546
NO. OF PAGES 2
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
1. It is nor opinion that in general the USSR had not overcome the climatic problems
which restricted most road building to gravel and earth type roads. Road
construction in the USSR in 1941 was not any more mechanized than it was before
the Russian Revolution, except that trucks were used in construction work instead
of only horses. Mechanized equipment, which consisted of steam rollers, was
available only for city streets and such highways as those from Moscow to
Minsk and Moscow to Kiev. There were some graders, but they were not used and it
was not known how to use them, because there was a lack of sufficiently powerful
tractors for road construction work to tow the graders. In Central Asia in 1941
all the roads were still either dirt or gravel, except for a few stretches
paved with cobblestones. However, _the highways emanating from Moscow were hard
surface concrete roads (asphalta betonii dorogi).
2. The main problem of road construction confronting Soviet engineers in Central
Asia was lack of mechanized equipment. In the Central USSR, the main difficulty
was obtaining the necessary materials. Stone was in short supply and, it was
necessary to transport it from distant areas. The railroads, pverburdefled as
they were, could not carry great quantities of stone. There was also a lack of
,,sufficient mechanized equipment for road construction in the Central USSR.
W LAST PACE FOR SUBJECT & AREA CODES
CLASSIFICATION
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/04/25 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400560008-7
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/04/25 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400560008-7
CONFIDENTIAL/US OFFICIALS Ci LY
- 2
In regard to steps taken to provide roads throughout the USSR, the Soviet
authorities did not have the incentive to'build many roads because there
was a shortage of motor vehicular transport.
1. Overall planning, by GOSPLAN, for road systems was done only for-"government"
"
roads
roads, and some "Republican" routes, not for local roads. "Government
were those considered of significance for all the USSR. A Republieara" road
would be included in overall planning only if it was thought to have all-
Union importance. In ~is case, the central government would provide the
necessary materials, but 'he local republican authorities would have to pay
for them. Local roads in Central Asia were few in number and poor in quality,
as were the bridges (there was a great shortage of wood in Central Asia).
Local GOSPLARS in the various republics planned roads of local significance.
Republican authorities provided the road building materials which they had
available, but had to ask Moscow for certain items, such as nails. The "RaiSoviet"
(Rayon Soviet) administered the local roads through its DCBOTDEL (Dorozhini
Otdel- Road Section).
The Soviet Government had planned to increase greatly the use of trucks for
hauling freight, but ran into difficulties. The great number of horses lost
during collectivization, the growth of industry, and the neglect of railway
construction in the 1930's, were all important factors in increasing very size-
ably the demand for trucks. The USSR was unable to come even close to producing
the planned amount of trucks and new roads. By 1941 there were only about
550,000 motor vehicles in the USSR. Approximately 14.20,000 of this `total were
trucks; the remainder were automobiles. This was grossly inadequate,
6. In regard to whether standard methods were followed in road construction, the
quality of work in' this field was generally so poor that even the gover~nt
suggested that each contractor atte t to rove methods in aW manner be
could.
In and to road equipment and maintenance of roads, there was no mechanized
equipment in Central Asia, except that trucks were used on construction jobs
Occasionally one might be able to borrow a steam roller. Once a "government"
road was completed, a "Dorozhniye Upravleniye" (Road Administration) would be
created, which hired workers to maintain the road, by hand labor. As to
maintenance of local"routes, bridges on these roads would often be allowed to
remain impassable for a month, because of the shortage of wood: for repairs..
- end -
L.BRARY SUEJF.& &--A'
A GQDES
754.5 N
754.22 N
754.22 527N
754.41 N
u u,3 N
-6/73.i N .
5-6C74N
COI9FID 1TIAL/HIS OFFICIALS OILY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/04/25 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400560008-7