The impact of mining enterprises on the development of transport infrastructure in remote areas (case study of the Todzhinsky Kozhuun of Tyva and the Okinsky District of Buryatia)

In the complex of socio-economic and environmental problems, infrastructure provision is becoming a cornerstone. A feature of remote areas is the inconsistency in understanding the vital need for access to modern infrastructure (primarily, to transport opportunities) and the costs associated with this access. On the one hand, the transport infrastructure in the region contributes to the efficient use of the economic potential of the region. On the other hand, isolation from the outside world with restricting existing traffic flows and rejecting new transport projects may be the local population’s own choice. Industrial development is the main driving force in the development of the transport infrastructure of the territories. In this work, the following study areas were selected as model areas for the study of the mutual influence of mining enterprises and the development of transport infrastructure - Todzhinsky Kozhuun of the Republic of Tyva and Okinsky District of the Republic of Buryatia. Methods of comparative geographical and statistical analysis and data generalization, network and problem approaches, in-depth and group interviews of local residents were used. The results of the analysis of publicly available data on the development and maintenance of specific transport arteries and materials of original field studies are presented.