Once, the road between Moscow and St. Petersburg was called the State Road. It was an important transport artery of the country, which was carefully monitored. However, the idea of creating a stone-paved road was only proposed in the early 19th century. The implementation of the project was delayed due to the Russo-Turkish War and Napoleon's invasion, and the major repairs of the road were completed only under Nicholas I.

The road was built according to the designs of French engineers. The tract was paved with rubble stone, which was placed on its edge, two layers of gravel, each 8 centimeters thick, were added on top, and curbs were installed on the sides. This significantly improved the road: the journey from Moscow to St. Petersburg took 3-4 days instead of the previous 5-6. However, despite the careful repairs, some sections of the road still fell into disrepair, and the journey between the cities was described as 'a real torture.'

By the 1850s, the Russian government decided to abandon the French approach to road repairs and contracted English engineers. After studying the challenging climatic conditions, they concluded that the main load is taken by the soil. Their method involved laying a 25-centimeter layer of gravel on compacted earth, followed by an additional 15-centimeter layer of gravel.

As a result, it turned out that the English engineers were right: the road became more comfortable and required less maintenance. It remained that way until the widespread use of asphalt. By the way, the first asphalt plant in Russia was opened near Syzran in 1873.