Expansion of Route R-158 in Dalnekonstantinovsky District — a capital reconstruction project covering kilometres 52–77 of the federal road Nizhny Novgorod — Arzamas, the contract for which was concluded in September 2026. The 25-kilometre two-lane section is being widened to four lanes; the cost of the works is 13.6 billion rubles.[1][2]

Contract and timeline

Details of the contract were published on the public procurement portal on 11–12 September 2026.[1][2] The contractor is the joint-stock company "VAD" — a St. Petersburg firm that had previously worked on Route R-158 in Nizhny Novgorod Region: in 2024–2025 it widened the section from kilometre 77 to kilometre 104 in Arzamassky District under a contract worth approximately 8.2 billion rubles.[2]

According to the production schedule, the contractor is required to begin site preparation and design work in January 2027. Completion of construction and landscaping of the adjacent area is scheduled for 30 September 2028.[1][2]

Place in the R-158 modernisation programme

Route R-158 connects Nizhny Novgorod with Arzamas, Saransk, and Penza. The widening of the carriageway to four lanes is intended to increase the capacity of this transport corridor.[1][2]

Modernization of the R-158 began approximately ten years before the contract described here was signed: the first section to be widened ran from the M-7 "Volga" highway to the settlement of Nizhegorodets.[2] In 2023, a major overhaul of the stretch between the 40th and 52nd kilometers in Dalnekonstantinovsky District got underway. The works, valued at around 3.7 billion rubles, were carried out by the Tver-based company DSK; however, after completing roughly 60% of the scope, the contractor abandoned the site and its contract was terminated. In March 2025, work on the 40–52 km section — still being performed by the former contractor at that time — was described as being in its final stage: arrangements for carrying out repairs at utility-crossing sections were being coordinated, and completion was planned for October–November 2025, before the onset of sustained frost.[3] The contract with Kazdorstroy for completion of the major overhaul of this section was signed on 30 December 2025; under its terms, the work was to be completed no later than 15 July 2026.[4] In 2026, the abandoned section was taken up by Kazdorstroy, a company from Tatarstan, under a contract worth 539 million rubles; by July of the same year, readiness was assessed at 85%, with completion expected in August. For missing the deadlines, the contractor was charged a penalty of approximately 4.4 million rubles.[2]

In total, the modernization of the R-158 Nizhny Novgorod — Saratov highway to four lanes is planned to encompass ten sections in the Nizhny Novgorod Region and Mordovia, with a combined length of 215 kilometers.[2]

Sources

  1. Newsroom24 — A section of the R-158 highway near Nizhny Novgorod to be widened to 4 lanes — Transport
  2. GIPERNN — Part of the R-158 highway near Nizhny Novgorod to be widened for 13.6 billion rubles
  3. Vremya N — In March 2025, work on the 40–52 km section, still being performed by the former contractor at that time, was described as being in its final stage: coordination was underway (archive)
  4. nnov-news.ru — The contract with Kazdorstroy for completion of the major overhaul of the 40–52 km section was signed on 30 December 2025; under its terms, the work was to be performe