Black Sea Highway

(Route 19), a trunk road, with a length of 750 km, that connects Novorossiisk and Batumi.

The Black Sea highway was constructed between 1887 and 1910 and was rebuilt and modernized between 1946 and 1950. It crosses Krasnodar Krai, the Abkhazian ASSR, and the Adzhar ASSR. In addition to Sochi, whose health resorts line the highway for approximately 150 km, its principal intermediate points are the health resorts of Gelendzhik, Dzhubga, Tuapse, Gagra, Gudauta, Novyi Afon, Sukhumi, Ochamchira, and Zugdidi. Except for the Ochamchira-Samtredia-Kobuleti section, the highway runs along the seacoast.

The Black Sea highway has spurs that connect it to Myskhako (6 km), Abrau-Diurso (23 km), Krasnaia Poliana (59 km), Mount Akhun (11 km), Salkhino (18 km), Pitsunda (13 km), Ritsa Preserve (56 km), Iuzhnyi Priiut (102 km), Tkvarcheli (27 km), and Zugdidi and Mestia (136 km). It is connected to the highway system of the USSR by the Pavlovskaia-Krasnodar-Novorossiisk highway (Route 18) and the Armavir-Maikop-Tuapse highway. Highways run from Samtredia to Tblisi, Yerevan, and Baku (routes 15 and 17).

The highway travels through an internationally known tourist area and zone of climatic and balneological health resorts; it is the largest such area in the USSR. Passenger transport predominates, but freight for the resorts and vacationers in the area is carried on the road. Goods shipped from the area include products of the food-processing industry and various fruits, including citrus fruits and grapes. Work is being carried out to increase the traffic capacity of the most heavily traveled sections of the road.