R256 highway (Russia)

The Russian route R256, also known as Chuya Highway or Chuysky Trakt (Чуйский тракт), is a trunk road in Novosibirsk Oblast, Altai Krai and Altai Republic of Russia. Its length is 953 kilometres. The width is 7 metres. It is also a part of the Asian Highway AH4.

Federal Highway R256
Федеральная автомобильная дорога P256
Chuya Highway Чуйский тракт
Route information
Part of
Length	953 km (592 mi)
Major junctions
North end	Novosibirsk
South end	Mongolian border
Highway system
Russian Federal Highways ← R255 → R257

The highway, constructed in the early 1930s by gulag inmates, extends from Novosibirsk to Russia's border with Mongolia, passing through Berdsk, Novoaltaysk, Biysk, but bypassing Barnaul and Gorno-Altaysk.

Between Novosibirsk and Biysk the road follows the right bank of the Ob River, then traverses a steppe region and the Altay Mountains, where it continues through the altitudes of up to 2000 metres.

On November 17, 2010, in accordance with Government Resolution 928, the M52 was given a new designation, R256 (in Cyrillic Р256); the M52 designation was used until the end of 2017 when the highway was officially designated as R256.

The Russian route M52 in the Altay.