Road Network of Altai Krai Districts at the Initial Stage of Development of Virgin and Fallow Lands, 1954–1955

Abstract

The article presents the analysis results of the state and operation of road construction departments of Altai Krai at the beginning of virgin lands development in the region. The scientific relevance of such analysis is conditioned by the important role the road and transport network of the region had to fulfill in the task of sharp increase in grain production set by the party and government. With the beginning of virgin and fallow lands development Altai region faced the problem of fast and timely transportation of harvested crops. The analysis addresses the root cause of this problem by assessing the state of the district road departments, which were the main structural unit responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of the routes that passed through their territory. The study is based on twenty districts of Altai Krai based on the materials of the State Archives of Altai Krai. All categories of transport routes have been analyzed in terms of the quality of road surfaces and the percentage of each route has been determined; the condition and length of bridges have been assessed. Characteristics of the grade and quality of works performed on the roads are correlated with the availability of equipment, employees and their occupational distribution in the district road construction organizations. The study is the first attempt to generate accurate statistics of road departments in the Altai Territory. Many archive materials are being brought into scientific circulation for the first time.