Mongolia Road Network
For information on Mongolia Road Network contact details, please see the following link 4.1 Mongolia Government Contact List
Mongolia has a state road network of just over 12,660km, of which only about 2,244 km are paved, 1,440 km has a gravel surface and 1,346 km has an improved earth surface. Over 6,900 km is earth tracks. Most overland roads in Mongolia are gravel roads or simple cross-country tracks, and most of these are not reliable year-round; consequently, loading capacity is limited. Lack of snow or ice clearing in winter and no system of sanding or gritting road surfaces leads to ice formation that lasts for a long time and slows traffic. At present only two paved road leads to a border post, the road from Ulaanbaatar to the Russian border and the road to the Bulgan border post with China in the west of Mongolia. The road south to the Chinese border at Zamyn Uud currently has about 450km of unpaved road. Other paved roads from Ulaanbaatar exist but are very limited (500 km westward and 250 km eastward). Some road construction projects are currently underway (construction of the east–west so-called Millennium Road) and others are under consideration (a third paved border road, in Western Mongolia linking China to Russia).
Road construction and maintenance fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Road, Transportation, Construction and Urban development of Mongolia. TRANSIT TIMES/COST - trucks are approximately 2 times more expensive than train. From Tianjin - Zamyn-Uud by truck is 2-3 days. Before embarking on any journey, local advise is to seek information from bus or trucking companies to determine the latest conditions. Distances can be deceiving. 100 km can take anything from one to four hours depending on the road and weather. Often there will be 30 or 40km of paved road leading away from a town such as Khovd or Saishand but then it will turn into a braiding of dirt track for hundreds of kilometres where the driver will choose one of several tracks running through open ground. There are few bridges on the dirt roads so fords are common. Traffic is very light, ranging from one to twenty vehicles per hour. Ministry of Road, Transportation, Construction and Urban Development of Mongolia manage the process. Private licensed companies, through a tender process maintain and build the roads. Funding for road development projects is through loans, technical assistance, grants, and other aid received sources such as the World Bank, Asian Development bank,European Union, Japanese Government, and Kuwait fund for Arabic Development.
Distance Matrix
Ulaanbatar | Tsetserleg | Ulgii | Bayankhongor | Bulgan | Altai | Choir | Darkhan | Saishand | Choibalsan | Mandalgovi | Uliastai | Erdenet | Arvaikheer | Dalanzadgad | BaruunUrt | Sukhbaatar | Khovd | Murun | Undurkhaan | Ulaangom | Zagaannuur | Dornod | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ulaanbatar | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tsetserleg | 430 | - | |||||||||||||||||||||
Ulgii | 1636 | 1220 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bayankhongor | 630 | 214 | 1006 | - | |||||||||||||||||||
Bulgan | 318 | 289 | 1334 | 503 | - | ||||||||||||||||||
Altai | 1001 | - | 635 | 371 | 874 | - | |||||||||||||||||
Choir | 238 | 630 | 1644 | 638 | 456 | 1009 | - | ||||||||||||||||
Darkhan | 219 | 537 | 1582 | 751 | 248 | 1122 | 457 | - | |||||||||||||||
Sainshand | 463 | 855 | 1869 | 863 | 781 | 1234 | 225 | 682 | - | ||||||||||||||
Choibalsan | 655 | 1108 | 2291 | 1285 | 973 | 1656 | 439 | 874 | 531 | - | |||||||||||||
Mandalgovi | 260 | 500 | 1314 | 508 | - | 879 | 186 | 479 | 355 | 741 | - | ||||||||||||
Uliastai | 984 | 531 | - | 459 | 807 | 195 | 1153 | 989 | 1322 | 1639 | 967 | - | |||||||||||
Erdenet | 371 | 357 | 1402 | 571 | 68 | 949 | 609 | 180 | 834 | 1026 | 631 | 809 | - | ||||||||||
Arvaikheer | 430 | 266 | 1206 | 200 | 348 | 571 | 494 | 596 | 663 | 1085 | 308 | 659 | 416 | - | |||||||||
Dalzandgad | 553 | 643 | 1583 | 577 | 725 | 948 | 479 | 772 | 516 | 1074 | 293 | 1036 | 793 | 377 | - | ||||||||
BaruunUrt | 560 | 1013 | - | - | 878 | - | 462 | 779 | 340 | 191 | 613 | 1544 | 931 | 990 | 856 | - | |||||||
Sukhbaatar | 311 | 629 | - | 843 | 340 | 1214 | 549 | 92 | 774 | 966 | 571 | 1147 | 272 | 688 | 864 | 871 | - | ||||||
Khovd | 1425 | - | 211 | 795 | - | 424 | 1489 | 1519 | 1658 | 2080 | 1303 | 465 | 1339 | 995 | 1372 | - | 1612 | - | |||||
Murun | 671 | 413 | 981 | 617 | 353 | 583 | 909 | 601 | 1134 | 1326 | 913 | 388 | 421 | 679 | 1056 | 1231 | 693 | 853 | - | ||||
Undurkhaan | 331 | 784 | 1967 | 961 | 649 | 1332 | 233 | 550 | 302 | 324 | 417 | 1315 | 702 | 761 | 710 | 229 | 642 | 1756 | 1002 | - | |||
Ulaangom | 1336 | 883 | 301 | 988 | 1033 | 662 | 1569 | 1281 | 1738 | 991 | 1383 | 529 | 1101 | 1188 | 1585 | 1896 | 1373 | 238 | 680 | 1667 | - | ||
Zagaannuur | 1568 | 1115 | 69 | 1075 | 1265 | 704 | 1769 | 1513 | 1933 | 2223 | 1583 | 761 | 1333 | 1275 | 1652 | 1228 | 1605 | 280 | 912 | 199 | 232 | - | |
Dornod | 667 | 1120 | 2303 | 1297 | 985 | 1668 | 569 | 986 | 543 | 12 | 753 | 1651 | 1038 | 1097 | 1059 | 1208 | 978 | 2093 | 1338 | 336 | 2003 | 2235 |
Travel Time Matrix
Ulaan baatar | Zamyn-Uud | Sukh baatar | Choi balsan | Ulaan goom | Khovd | Muren | Dalzan dgad | Tsetserleg | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ulaanbaatar | - | ||||||||
Zamyn-Uud | 20 hours | - | |||||||
Sukhbaatar | 7 hours | 27 hours | - | ||||||
Choibalsan | 15 hours | 55 hours | 22 hours | - | |||||
Ulaangoom | 6 days | 7 days | 6.5 days | 7 days | - | ||||
Khovd | 5 days | 6 days | 5.5 days | 6 days | 1 day | - | |||
Muren | 24 hours | 2 days | 24 hours | 39 hours | 2 days | 3 days | - | ||
Dalzandgad | 24 hours | 2 days | 31 hours | 39 hours | 7 days | 6 days | 2 days | - | |
Tsetserleg | 22 hours | 2 days | 29 hours | 37 hours | 7 days | 6 days | 2 days | 2 days | - |
Road Security
Road security is good though there are safety issues due to cold temperatures in winter and the isolated nature of many roads. Some humanitarian agencies require that travel to areas that are not on the main roads are done in a two car convoy and many cars are equipped with GPS.
Weighbridges and Axle Load Limits
There are no weighbridges in Mongolia. In rural Mongolia there are no axle load limits. Trucks over 2mt are not permitted in the inner city of Ulaanbaatar. There are also no axle load limits on the roads from borders posts with Russia or China.
Road Class and Surface Conditions
Mongolia is part of the Asian Highway Network which is a cooperative project among countries in Asia and Europe and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific(ESCAP), to improve the highway systems in Asia. The roads in Mongolia follow the classification used by the Asian Highway Network. Mongolia has no primary or Class I or II roads. Most routes in the country are either class III of IV or a mixture of both. There are few complete sections of roads with consistent surface cover so it is not possible to break it down into sections of road and their classes. Often there will be 30 or 40km of paved road leading away from a town such as Khovd or Saishand. It will then turn into a braiding of dirt track for hundreds of kilometres, where the driver will choose one of several tracks running through open ground.
Classification | Description |
---|---|
Primary
|
Access controlled highways Asphalt or cement concrete
|
Class: I
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4 or more lanes Asphalt or cement concrete
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Class: II
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2 lanes Asphalt or cement concrete
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Class: III
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2 lanes Double bituminous treatment
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Class: IV
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gravel, earth roads
|
For information on Mongolia Road Network contact details, please see the following link:
4.1 Mongolia Government Contact List
For information on Mongolia Road Network additional information, please see the following link:
Mongolia Road Network Additional Information
Note: The information provided in the attached documents, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately