The development of transport infrastructure of the Rostov-on-Don Oblast: The current state and priorities

Abstract

Subject. The paper considers the current state and priorities of the transport infrastructure development of the Rostov-on-Don region with an emphasis on the effects of national and regional projects implementation. Objectives. The study overviews the statistical analysis of the current state of transport infrastructure in the Rostov-on-Don region, identifying key problems, determining the prospects and risks of implementing infrastructure transport projects. Methods. The methods of statistical and economic analysis are used. The available statistical indicators of the transport sector for 2000–2019 are analyzed. Results. The impact of infrastructure investment on economic growth is higher in regions with better-designed regional policies. At the same time, this conclusion only highlights the complexity of the channels through which infrastructure affects economic performance, as well as the problems that this complexity creates for empirical research. Studies on the relationship between infrastructure and economic growth have not produced definitive results. There is a positive correlation between the availability of regional transport infrastructure and availability of developed transport systems and economic indicators, for example, GRP. However, this correlation may reflect historical agglomeration processes, etc., rather than the current causal relationships. Conclusions and Relevance. The complex of infrastructural restrictions of the transport infrastructure of the Rostov region is the congestion of highways, the exhaustion of load-bearing road capacity and, as a result, the reduction of the transport permeability of the entire agglomeration. These problems put the implementation of projects to improve the transport and operational condition of the existing network of public roads, bringing the technical parameters and the level of engineering equipment of roads in line with the achieved traffic intensity levels among the priority tasks. The main tool for achieving the strategic goal is the Safe and High-Quality Roads national project. The implementation of the Rostov-on-Don Transport Ring project will also have a positive impact on the economic security of the region's road transport infrastructure.