Chita-Khabarovsk Road Conditions?
 

I haven't seen any word on road conditions between Chita and Khabarovsk for quite some time (or just can't find it:confused1:). Can anyone who has ridden there this year give an update? Curious if they're at all close to finish paving the section as some have suggested ("by 2010").

I would think the annual flock of Trans-Sib riders would have finished the stretch by now or are on it as I type...

From buddies who have done it this year - it is still dirt / roadworks... If you want to speak to one of them he's from Melbourne and I could zip him an email if you give me contact details

Went through in early May, road was great, almost finished. There are a few sections of roadworks, most of these were a few kilometres, perhaps up to 100 kms total, but probably much less. The rest is mint.
Cheers
Rob

Check out road report on link. Hope this works

What goes around comes around... Dublin to New york - Page 18 - ADVrider

Matey, I left Vladivostok, heading west on 3rd June. There is less than 200kms of dirt/gravel now. I would take any vehicle over the road to Ulaan Bataar now. When I last rode the Chita -Khabarovsk road (2008) there was well over 1,000kms of shitty, lousy gravel road. Now it is so good a lot of the fun has gone.:funmeterno:

The Trans Siberian Highway to Vladivostock sounds an ultimate adventure ride/drive, just as the Trans Siberian Express sounds a romantic experiance.

In reality both now are very, very long and very, very boring, journeys - mainly looking at trees.

The choice is do you want to be travelling with all the usual pollution, traffic, fumes etc on roads of similar quality as western countries OR do you want to spend 10 days and nights (from Moscow at least) in an overcrowded 'cattle truck', train carriage of an earlier era, where theft could be a problem, with people who think, act, (and probably smell), different to your expectation.

Neither appeal too much. But I have seen elements of both, so I am keen to find different journeys and meet the real folks of the lands I visit.

Russians are totally amazed at Westerners romantic notions of both journeys.

London to Brighton was once regarded with similar reverence. And that was only a couple of hours, not a couple of weeks!

(Rant over!:smile2:)

Tony P,

Figured as much, and I agree, TransSib Hwy doesn't seem like the adventure it once was.

Reason I ask though is that I plan on arriving in Vladivostok early April 2011 (after big lap of Australia) and actually would prefer paved road rather than being bogged down in cold, muddy, snowy roads somewhere between Skovorodino and Mogocha so I can get on to the interesting bits in Mongolia quicker :funmeteryes::scooter:

There was another thread here about riding the trans-siberian in april, and I think the conclusion was that while it was probably possible, it will likely be very cold and wet, and possibly icy/snowy. I have not spent any time in that part of the world in April so am not the best source of information, but can tell you that in late May 2008 the road between Chita and Ulan-Ude was closed for a couple days because of snow. I would certainly be prepared for pretty miserable weather.

Brass Monkeys
 

Went through Siberia a few weeks ago and it was freezing. Didnt take my wets off for two weeks as it was either raining or too cold. There were guys on Harleys and BMW road bikes so its possible on any machine.

Hi motoreiter

How very interesting that the Chita - Ulan-Ude road was closed because of snow in late May 2008. I drove that section on 15 May 2008 and the weather was fine - must have just missed it.

Mark

I don't think it is very surprising that the weather there can change drastically in a few days...all I can tell you is that we arrived in Chita on about May 29 and were told that the road had been closed a couple of days before. When we rode to Ulan Ude the next day, the weather was cool and the roads were fine, but there was snow on the sides of the road in the mountains.

Weather seems to be very changeable in that neck of the woods Mark. I rode that same section on the 12th of June 2008 and it was snowing then too.

One month earlier, on 11th May, I was also snowed on in China approx 200kms south of the Mongolian border.

Well looks like I'll be delaying my Eurasian trip until at least mid April if not 1st of May in that case. Gives me an extra month in Australia (will now be 6), so I can dick around some more, check out all the sights, and take things easy :Beach:. It just means that I have to double the Australian pace when I hit Primorskiy since I have a hard stop at the beginning of next August. Upside is that the trip will be an endless summer. Thanks for the road conditions update and feedback.

There was an item on Russian TV News tonight about the completion of the tarmac road between Chita and Vladivostock.

Lots of pictures of stunning scenery divided by an empty, shiny, new road and Putin at the wheel of a car somewhere (another publicity stunt like being seen on a Harley recently?).

The piece ended saying in August only 30kms remained to be completed!
What happened since is anyones guess!

Irkutsk - Vladivostok is all asphalt - finished now.

Just a few patchy bits between Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk to finish.