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16-830: The Ust-Nera - Magadan tract of the R504 Kolyma Highway crosses the plateau from northwest to southeast. There are gold placers in certain spots of the Nera Plateau. The Nera Plateau is at the source area of the Nera River , a tributary of the Indigirka . Other rivers on it are the Ayan-Yuryakh , one of the rivers that form the Kolyma , and the Byoryolyokh , an Ayan Yuryakh tributary. The plateau

32-587: Is about 650 km (400 mi). As of the summer of 2010, the Old Summer Road via Tomtor was still passable to motorcycles and 4×4s. The Anadyr Highway project from the Kolyma Highway to Anadyr in Chukotka passes Omsukchan , Omolon , and Ilirney with branch roads to Bilibino and Egvekinot , involving construction of 1,800 kilometres (1,100 mi) of road. The construction of

48-432: Is in an area dominated by permafrost . There are sparse larch forests on the plateau and thickets of dwarf cedar and alder up to elevations from 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) to 1,200 metres (3,900 ft), above which there is only mountain tundra . Ust-Nera Ust-Nera (Russian: Усть-Нера ; Yakut : Уус Ньара , romanized:  Uus Ñara ) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement ) and

64-686: Is incorporated within Oymyakonsky District as the Settlement of Ust-Nera . As a municipal division , the Settlement of Ust-Nera is incorporated within Oymyakonsky Municipal District as Ust-Nera Urban Settlement . Gold mining is the main occupation. The Kolyma Highway was extended northwest to Ust-Nera in 1937; this section is now the main route between Yakutsk and Magadan . The Ust-Nera Airport

80-587: Is limited by ranges of the Chersky mountain system to the northeast, the Upper Kolyma Highlands to the southeast and the Tas-Kystabyt (Sarychev Range) to the southwest. The average elevations of the plateau surface lie between 700 metres (2,300 ft) and 1,500 metres (4,900 ft). The highest summit is Khulamryn (го­ра Ху­лам­рин), a 2,077 feet (633 m) high peak. The plateau

96-665: Is located about 200 kilometers (120 mi) north of the selo of Oymyakon , which is one of two places in the Sakha Republic (the other being Verkhoyansk ) that lays claim to being the northern Pole of Cold , the coldest location in the northern hemisphere. The Tas-Kystabyt , Silyap Range and the Nera Plateau are located in the district. Ust-Nera has an extremely cold subarctic climate ( Köppen climate classification Dwd) with short, mild, wet summers with chilly nights, and severely cold, dry winters. Ust-Nera

112-569: Is serving air traffic. River traffic on the Indigirka is limited by the rapids 100 kilometers (62 mi) downstream. There is a small museum in Ust-Nera. R504 Kolyma Highway The R504 Kolyma Highway ( Russian : Федеральная автомобильная дорога «Колыма» , Federal'naya Avtomobil'naya Doroga «Kolyma», "Federal Automobile Highway 'Kolyma'"), part of the M56 route, is a road through

128-783: The Russian Far East . It connects Magadan with the town of Nizhny Bestyakh , located on the eastern bank of the Lena River , opposite of Yakutsk . At Nizhny Bestyakh the Kolyma Highway connects to the Lena Highway . The Kolyma Highway is colloquially known as the Road of Bones ( Russian : Дорога Костей Doróga Kostéy ). Locally, the road is known as the Kolyma Route ( Russian : Колымская трасса Kolýmskaya trássa ). The Dalstroy construction directorate built

144-518: The Tenkinskaya Trassa , which receives a lot less heavy traffic than the main section of the M56 between Magadan and Susuman. Distances : Yakutsk to Khandyga 380 km (240 mi), on to Kyubeme 320 km (200 mi), to Kadykchan (via Tomtor) 420 km (260 mi), Kadykchan to Susuman 90 km (60 mi), Susuman to Magadan 630 km (390 mi). From Kyubeme to Kadykchan north via Ust-Nera (the new, maintained section)

160-635: The administrative center of Oymyakonsky District in Yakutia , Russia . Located in one of the coldest permanently inhabited regions on Earth, Ust-Nera is approximately 870 kilometers (540 mi) northeast of the republic's capital, Yakutsk . As of the 2010 Census , its population was 6,463. Ust-Nera is located at the confluence of the Nera and Indigirka Rivers , from which it takes its name (the ust- part means river mouth in Russian ). Ust-Nera

176-608: The Kolyma Highway during the Soviet Union 's Stalinist era . Inmates of the Sevvostlag labour camp started the first stretch in 1932, and construction continued with the use of gulag labour until 1953. The road is treated as a memorial by some, as the bones of the estimated 250,000–1,000,000 imprisoned labourers who died while constructing it were allegedly laid beneath or around the road, although documented sources have yet to confirm this through further evidence. As

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192-537: The great challenges for adventuring motorcyclists and 4WDers . The area is extremely cold during the winter. The town of Oymyakon , approximately 100 km from the highway, is believed to be the coldest inhabited place on earth . The average low temperature in Oymyakon in January is −50°C. In 2020, a teenage motorist froze to death by following Google Maps directions to use the shorter but abandoned section of

208-403: The road is built on permafrost , the popular rumor spread through western and dissident accounts is that interment into the fabric of the road was deemed more practical than digging new holes to bury the bodies of the dead. In 2008, the road was granted Federal Road status and is now a frequently maintained all-weather gravel road . When the road was upgraded, the route was changed to bypass

224-399: The road via Tomtor, on which his car broke down, and his surviving travel mate lost most of his limbs due to frostbite . alternative: (Old Summer Road route) 155 km (100 mi) northeast to Tomtor , 250 km (160 mi) road northeast (may not be passable except when frozen), into Magadan Oblast There is also a scenic shortcut from Magadan to Susuman via Ust-Omchug called

240-543: The section from Kyubeme to Kadykchan via Tomtor , and instead pass from Kyubeme to Kadykchan via a more northern route through the town of Ust-Nera . The old 420 km section via Tomtor was largely unmaintained; the 200 km section between Tomtor and Kadykchan was completely abandoned. This section is known as the Old Summer Road, and has fallen into disrepair, with washed-out bridges and sections of road reclaimed by streams in summer. During winter, frozen rivers may assist river crossings. Old Summer Road remains one of

256-499: Was founded in 1937 in conjunction with gold mining and exploration in the Indigirka and Kolyma regions. In the Soviet era , it served as a base for forced labor camps of the gulag . Urban-type settlement status was granted to Ust-Nera in 1950. Within the framework of administrative divisions , the urban-type settlement of Ust-Nera serves as the administrative center of Oymyakonsky District . As an administrative division, it

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