View source for R504 Kolyma Highway

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}{{wikidatacoord}}
{{short description|Road in eastern Russia}}
{{Infobox road
|country=RUS
|type=R
|route=504
|alternate_name=Kolyma Highway
|map={{Highway system OSM map
  | highway_system_qid = Q260792
  | frame-lat          = 56
  | frame-long         = 123
  | frame-width        = 290
  | frame-height       = 175
  | zoom               = 2
  | length             = 
  | plain              = yes
  }}
| photo = R504 Tomponsky district 02.jpg
|map_custom=yes
|map_notes=The Kolyma Highway and others in the region. The Kolyma Highway is shown in red.
|length_km=2031
|length_round=
|length_ref=
|established=
|direction_a=West
|terminus_a={{jct|country=RUS|A|360 }} [[A360 Lena Highway]] at [[Nizhny Bestyakh]]
|junction=
|direction_b=East
|terminus_b=[[Magadan]]
|previous_type=R
|previous_route=503
|next_type=R
|next_route=600
}}
[[File:kolyma-bridge.jpg|thumb|[[Kolyma River]] Bridge at [[Debin]] ]]

The '''R504 Kolyma Highway''' ({{langx|ru|Федеральная автомобильная дорога «Колыма»}}, ''Federal'naya Avtomobil'naya Doroga «Kolyma»,'' "Federal Automobile Highway 'Kolyma'"), part of the M56 route, is a road through the [[Russian Far East]]. It connects [[Magadan]] with the town of [[Nizhny Bestyakh]], located on the eastern bank of the [[Lena River]], opposite of [[Yakutsk]]. At Nizhny Bestyakh the Kolyma Highway connects to the [[Lena Highway]].

The Kolyma Highway has been colloquially called the '''Road of Bones''' ([[Russian language|Russian]]: {{Lang|Ru|Дорога Костей}} ''Doróga Kostéy'').<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/1404085/Road-of-Bones-where-slaves-perished.html |title='Road of Bones' where slaves perished |first=Marcus |last=Warren |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=10 August 2002 |location=[[London, UK|London]] |issn=0307-1235 |oclc=49632006 |access-date=5 February 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120917125819/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/1404085/Road-of-Bones-where-slaves-perished.html |archive-date=17 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://russianlife.com/archive/article/params/Number/1186/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181121203733/https://russianlife.com/archive/article/params/Number/1186/ |url-status= dead |archive-date= 21 November 2018 |title=Road of Bones to the Coldest Place in the World – |first=Gary & Monica |last=Westcott |work=[[Russian Life]] |year=2012 |access-date=5 February 2012}}</ref> Locally, the road is known as the '''Kolyma Route''' ([[Russian language|Russian]]: {{Lang|Ru|Колымская трасса}} ''Kolýmskaya trássa'').

==History==
[[File:Kolyma road00.jpg|thumb|Road construction]]
[[File:Kolyma road01.jpg|right|thumb|A [[ZIS-6]] Lorry in 1938]]
[[File:Kolyma Highway R504 at Tyungyulyu Village, 52 km. east of Nizhniy Bestyakh (East Yakutsk).jpg|thumb|The Kolyma is paved 159&nbsp;km. from Yakutsk ([[Nizhny Bestyakh]]) to [[Churapcha]].]]
[[File:Kolyma road01010038.jpg|thumb|The road today near Magadan. Paving extends over the 159&nbsp;km nearest to Magadan; elsewhere the road mainly comprises gravel.]]

The [[Dalstroy]] construction directorate built the Kolyma Highway during the [[Soviet Union]]'s [[History of the Soviet Union (1927–53)|Stalinist era]]. Inmates of the [[Sevvostlag]] [[gulag| labour camp]] started the first stretch in 1932, and construction continued with the use of [[gulag]] labour until 1953. 

It has been widely claimed that an estimated{{By whom|date=December 2024}} 250,000{{endash}}1,000,000 imprisoned labourers<ref>[[Adam Hochschild|Hochschild, Adam]] (2003) [1994]. "17: Beyond the Pole Star". The Unquiet Ghost: Russians Remember Stalin. Boston: [[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]]. p. 237. {{ISBN|9780547524979}}. Retrieved 14 June 2017. "Secret police authorities in Kolyma today say there are records - sometimes a complete file, sometimes just a name on a list - of two million men and women who were shipped to the territory between 1930 and the mid-1950s. But no one knows, even approximately, how many of these prisoners died. Even historians who have spent years studying Kolyma come up with radically different numbers. I asked four such researchers, who between them have written or edited more than half a dozen books on the gulag, what was the total Kolyma death toll. One estimated it at 250,000, another at 300,000, one at 800,000, and one at 'more than 1,000,000.'"</ref>{{better source needed|date=October 2023}} who died while constructing it were laid beneath or around the road, although documented sources have yet to confirm this with evidence of remains.<ref>Thompson G., (2002) ''Kolyma – The Road of Death''</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2015}} As the road is built on [[permafrost]], the popular rumor spread through western and dissident accounts is that interment into the fabric of the road was deemed more practical than digging new holes to bury the bodies of the dead.<ref> Middleton, Nick, ''Going to Extremes''</ref>{{qn|date=September 2015}} 

Records indicate 10,251 people died in the Kolyma region prison system in 1938<ref>''Garanin and “Garaninism” (Materials of the scientific-practical conference)'' https://ostrozhka.ru/en/miscellaneous/garanin-i-garaninshchina-materialy-nauchno-prakticheskoi-konferencii/</ref> from various official causes, mainly disease. The CIA's initial 1950s estimate of 3 million victims is stated to be flawed in Martin Bollinger's book on [[Kolyma]] prison labor.<ref>{{cite book| title=Stalin's Slave Ships: Kolyma, the Gulag Fleet, and the Role of the West |author= Martin Bollinger |date= 2008 |publisher= Naval Institute Press|isbn= 978-1-59114-046-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TGd3PwAACAAJ}}</ref> Norman Polmar's review of that book refers to 130,000 deaths.<ref>{{cite journal|author-link=Norman Polmar|author=Polmar, Norman |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_cold_war_studies/v009/9.3polmar.html |title=Stalin's Slave Ships: Kolyma, the Gulag Fleet, and the Role of the West (review)|journal=[[Journal of Cold War Studies]]|volume=9|issue=3|year=2007|pages=180–182 |doi=10.1162/jcws.2007.9.3.180|s2cid=57563119 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==Present==
In 2008, the road was granted Federal Road status and is now a frequently maintained all-weather [[gravel road]].

When the road was upgraded, the route was changed to bypass the section from [[Kyubeme]] to [[Kadykchan]] via [[Tomtor, Oymyakonsky District, Sakha Republic|Tomtor]], and instead pass from Kyubeme to Kadykchan via a more northern route through the town of [[Ust-Nera]]. The old 420&nbsp;km section via Tomtor was largely unmaintained; the 200&nbsp;km section between Tomtor and Kadykchan was completely abandoned.<ref>Colebatch, Walter. [http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13675225&postcount=202 Siberian Extreme 2010 – Back for More], 8 July 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2014.</ref> This section is known as the Old Summer Road, and has fallen into disrepair, with washed-out bridges and sections of road reclaimed by streams in summer. During winter, frozen rivers may assist river crossings. Old Summer Road remains one of the great challenges for adventuring motorcyclists and [[Four-wheel drive|4WDers]].

The area is extremely cold during the winter. The town of [[Oymyakon]], approximately 100&nbsp;km from the highway, is believed to be the [[Extremes on Earth|coldest inhabited place on earth]].<ref>p. 57, ''Extreme Weather: A Guide & Record Book'', Christopher C. Burt and Mark Stroud, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007, {{ISBN|0-393-33015-X}}.</ref> The average low temperature in Oymyakon in January is −50°C.<ref>[http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/24688.htm Погода и Климат]. Retrieved 25 July 2014.</ref> In 2020, a teenage motorist froze to death by following [[Google Maps]] directions to use the shorter but abandoned section of the road via Tomtor, on which his car broke down, and his surviving travel mate lost most of his limbs due to [[frostbite]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Stewart |first=Will |work=news.com.au |url=https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/man-frozen-to-death-after-google-maps-wrong-turn/news-story/13e10cbbc96494ee26e6dea29f4fb469 |title=Man frozen to death after Google Maps wrong turn |date=2020-12-11 |access-date=2020-12-30|url-status=live|archive-date=2021-07-08|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210708182405/https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/man-frozen-to-death-after-google-maps-wrong-turn/news-story/13e10cbbc96494ee26e6dea29f4fb469}}</ref>

==Route==
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2020}}
{|class=wikitable
|-
!Distance || Place || Remark
|-
| 0&nbsp;km || '''[[Nizhny Bestyakh]] / [[Yakutsk]]''' || on the [[Lena River]] 
|-
| {{Convert|159|km|-1|abbr=on}}|| [[Churapcha]]|| end of paving. Will reach [[Ytyk-Kyuyol]] in 2025.
|-
| {{Convert|350|km|-1|abbr=on}} || [[Krest-Khaldzhay]] || colspan=9 | road, northeast, summer ferry across the [[Aldan River]]. Bridge planned for 2025.<ref>{{Cite web|lang=ru|url=https://www.rzd-partner.ru/auto/news/na-federalnoy-trasse-kolyma-postroyat-samyy-protyazhennyy-most/|title=На федеральной трассе Колыма построят самый протяженный мост|website=www.rzd-partner.ru|access-date=2023-12-29}}</ref><ref>[http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/72198 Совещание по развитию дальневосточных городов • Президент России]</ref>
|-
| {{Convert|380|km|-1|abbr=on}} || '''[[Khandyga]]''' || on the Aldan River
|-
| || colspan=9 | alternative: Summer [[Hydrofoil]] from Yakutsk down the Lena and up the Aldan, {{Convert|530|km|-1|abbr=on}}, 10 hours
|-
| || colspan=9 | over [[Suntar-Khayata Range|Suntar-Khayata]] mountains, {{Convert|1200|m|-1|abbr=on}} pass, Vostochnaya River 
|-
| {{Convert|700|km|-1|abbr=on}} || [[Kyubeme]]
|
|-
| {{Convert|940|km|-1|abbr=on}} || (New route) '''[[Ust-Nera]]''' || on the [[Indigirka River]], east: several mining towns, Artyk town, headwaters of the [[Nera River (Russia)|Nera River]], {{Convert|1452|m|-1|abbr=on}} pass
|-
| || colspan=9| 
alternative: 
(Old Summer Road route) {{Convert|155|km|-1|abbr=on}} northeast to '''Tomtor''', {{Convert|250|km|-1|abbr=on}} road northeast (may not be passable except when frozen), into [[Magadan Oblast]]
|-
| {{Convert|1240|km|-1|abbr=on}} || [[Kadykchan]] || (nearby are [[coal]] [[Mining|mines]] and the old Myaundzha [[uranium]] processing centre) 
|-
| {{Convert|1330|km|-1|abbr=on}} || '''[[Susuman]]''' 
|-
| {{Convert|1500|km|-1|abbr=on}} || [[Debin]] || with the [[Kolyma River]] bridge
|-
| {{Convert|1680|km|-1|abbr=on}} || [[Orotukan]] || road turns southeast and south {{Convert|300|km|-1|abbr=on}} of largely unpopulated [[taiga]] 
|-
| {{Convert|1759|km|-1|abbr=on}} || [[Gerba, Russia|Gerba]]|| road 44H-3 to [[Omsukchan]] forks off; beginning of [[Anadyr Highway]]
|-
| {{Convert|1830|km|-1|abbr=on}} || [[Atka, Russia|Atka]] || enters lowlands
|-
| {{Convert|1926|km|-1|abbr=on}} || [[:ru: Яблоневый_(Магаданская_область)|Yablonevyy]] || pavement recommences <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/@60.4484919,151.4685452,3a,75y,136.58h,89.02t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s8_sl9-IUzCn9UKzfiMM2Fg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3D8_sl9-IUzCn9UKzfiMM2Fg%26cb_client%3Dsearch.revgeo_and_fetch.gps%26w%3D96%26h%3D64%26yaw%3D114.6116%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192|title=Google Street View|website=Google|access-date=April 22, 2022}}</ref>
|-
| {{Convert|1950|km|-1|abbr=on}} || [[Palatka, Russia|Palatka]]
|-
| {{Convert|1980|km|-1|abbr=on}} || '''[[Sokol, Magadan Oblast|Sokol]]'''
|-
| {{Convert|2030|km|-1|abbr=on}} || '''[[Magadan]]'''
|}
There is also a scenic shortcut from Magadan to Susuman via [[Ust-Omchug]] called the ''Tenkinskaya Trassa'', which receives a lot less heavy traffic than the main section of the M56 between Magadan and Susuman.

'''Distances''': Yakutsk to Khandyga {{Convert|380|km|-1|abbr=on}}, on to Kyubeme {{Convert|320|km|-1|abbr=on}}, to Kadykchan (via Tomtor) {{Convert|420|km|-1|abbr=on}}, Kadykchan to Susuman {{Convert|90|km|-1|abbr=on}}, Susuman to Magadan {{Convert|630|km|-1|abbr=on}}. From Kyubeme to Kadykchan north via Ust-Nera (the new, maintained section) is about {{Convert|650|km|-1|abbr=on}}.

As of the summer of 2010, the Old Summer Road via [[Tomtor]] was still passable to motorcycles and 4×4s.

==Road to Chukotka==
The [[Anadyr Highway]] project from the Kolyma Highway to [[Anadyr (town)|Anadyr]] in [[Chukotka Autonomous Okrug|Chukotka]] passes [[Omsukchan]], [[Omolon (rural locality)|Omolon]], and [[Ilirney]] with branch roads to [[Bilibino]] and [[Egvekinot]], involving construction of {{convert|1800|km|mi}} of road.<ref>[http://en.itar-tass.com/archive/677734 Project to build road from Kolyma to Anadyr drawn up] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030151809/http://en.itar-tass.com/archive/677734|date=30 October 2014}}</ref> The construction of the first 50 kilometers of the road started in 2012.

==See also==
{{Portal|Siberia}}
*[[Gulag]]
*[[Amur Cart Road]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* Bloom, L. R., and Vince, A. E. (2006) ''Mondo enduro: the ultimate adventure on two wheels – 44,000 miles in 400 days'', Findon: RippingYarns.com, {{ISBN|1-904466-28-1}}
* {{Citation | vauthors=((Higgins, A)) | date=November 22, 2020 | website=New York Times | title=Along Russia's 'Road of Bones,' Relics of Suffering and Despair | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/22/world/europe/russia-stalin-gulag-kolyma-magadan.html | access-date=3 October 2023}}
* McGregor, E., Boorman, C.  and Uhlig R. (2005) ''Long way round : chasing shadows across the world'', London : Time Warner, {{ISBN|0-7515-3680-6}}
* Pedersen, H., Payne, D. and Squire, S. (1998) ''10 Years on 2 Wheels: 77 Countries, 250,000 Miles'', Elfin Cove Press, {{ISBN|0-944958-38-9}}
* Scott, A. (2008) ''[http://www.adrianscott.com.au The Road Gets Better From Here]'', Vivid Publishing, {{ISBN|0-9804934-0-4}}
* The Long Course route and GPS track [http://www.thelongcourse.com/#!route]
* Thompson, G. (2002) [https://web.archive.org/web/20071210163636/http://www.missionreporter.org/road_of_death.htm ''Kolyma – The Road of Death''], The Mission Reporter, Florida : Dundee, [[www]] site [accessed 21 May 2007]
* [http://turtleexpedition.com/ Turtle Expedition] 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110905084934/http://askyakutia.com/tag/kolyma-highway/ AskYakutia.com : Road condition reports ]

==External links==
{{wikivoyage|Kolyma Highway}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091124021934/http://www.goannatracks.com/2007/07/road-of-bones-or-kolyma-highway.html Description of a road expedition Yakutsk-Magadan and back]
*[http://www.dersu.hu/ Zoltan Szalkai] made a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9Jkqr2Z1Bs documentary] of Gulag camp of Kolyma.
* Documentary  '''''*** GOLD*** - lost in Siberia''''' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apbN2qypLM8] was filmed in the summer of 1993 in [[Magadan]], and along the ''Road of Bones'', through [[Ust-Omchug]] and [[Susuman]] to the Sverovostok Zoloto gold mine, [[Siberia]], by the first foreign film crew ever, visiting the [[Kolyma|Kolyma District]] -which had been under control of the Soviet secret service, under the company name [[Dalstroj]], for over 60 years.

{{Russian federal highways}}

[[Category:Roads in Siberia]]
[[Category:Roads in the Russian Far East]]
[[Category:Transport in the Sakha Republic]]
[[Category:Transport in Magadan Oblast]]
[[Category:Gulag industry]]
[[Category:Magadan]]