The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) has signed a letter of intent to support financing for the Meridian Highway. The 721 km long Meridian Highway is part of the Europe–Western China transport corridor. It is planned to bypass major cities and cross Russia’s eight regions from the Krasnaya Gorka checkpoint in the Smolensk Region on the border with Belarus to the Mashtakovo and Sagarchin checkpoints in the Orenburg Region.

The length of the highway in Russia will be between 1,300 and 2,021 km. About 770 structures are planned to be built along the road. By 2023, the highway is expected to handle from 6.1 to 11.5 million tonnes of freight per year, of which transit freight will account for approximately 11%, while daily traffic is projected to reach up to 12,000 cars.