Attention drivers: the highest road pass in Ukraine is closed for 5 months
31 October 2024 14:48
In the Chernivtsi region, traffic through the Shurdyne mountain pass will be closed from November 1, and will resume on April 1, 2025. This was reported by the Service of Infrastructure Restoration and Development in the Chernivtsi region, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
“From November 1, 2024, to April 1, 2025, vehicular traffic will be temporarily closed through the Shurdyne mountain pass, which is part of the road T-26-09 / P-62 / – Dolishnyi Shepit – Ruska checkpoint,” the statement said.
This decision was made in order to ensure road safety in difficult winter weather conditions, and in accordance with clause 7 of the “Procedure for temporary restriction or prohibition of traffic of vehicles and other self-propelled machines and mechanisms on certain sections of public roads.”
It is noted that the road through the Shurdyne Pass was built during the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
However, the road service explained that the 19-kilometer mountainous section, especially in winter, becomes a real challenge for drivers due to frequent snowfalls, fog, and slippery gravel surface. The narrow road with numerous sharp turns makes driving much more difficult and increases the risk of an accident.
The pass can be bypassed by alternative routes:
P-62 Kryvorivnia – Ust Putyla – Stari Kuty – Vyzhnytsia – Storozhynets – Chernivtsi;
T-26-01 Chernivtsi – Vashkivtsi – Putyla – Ruska checkpoint.
Warning signs with agreed detour routes for the closed road section will be installed in the near future.
Traffic will resume on April 1, 2025.
For reference
The Shurdyne Pass is one of the highest passes in Ukraine that is crossed by a highway.
Shurdyne is a mountain pass through the Rakova Ridge in the Pokutsko-Bukovyna Carpathians. It is located in Chernivtsi region on the border of Vyzhnytsia and Putyla districts.
The height of the pass is 1173.5 m, and the pass section of the road is more than 19 km long.
On the northern side of the pass, the road runs along the slopes of the Nimchych Ridge (a branch of the Rakova Ridge), where it makes numerous, sometimes steep, turns.
