Azerbaijan is an important country for international transit. The total length of the Azerbaijani road network is about 29,000 km, serving domestic cargo traffic and connecting to international highways. Because Azerbaijan's railway network is inadequate, roads provide the most important form of transport in the country. Highways are mostly in fair condition, but do not meet international standards^{[clarification needed]} for transit traffic. Smaller main and rural roads are in poor condition. All types of roads are undergoing rapid modernization with rehabilitation and extensions. For every 1,000 km² of the national territory, there is 334 km of roads. In 2018, the Global Competitiveness Index ranked Azerbaijan 36th out of 137 countries for the quality (condition and extensiveness) of its road infrastructure.^[1]

The first modern paved roads in Azerbaijan were built in the 19th century when it was part of the Russian Empire.

Motorways edit

The most important class of highways is motorways. They are designated with the letter M.^[2]

Azerbaijan has recently developed a network of multi-lane motorways, which are steadily being expanded. Especially around Baku, some of these roads are built to controlled-access highway standards. Most motorways have six lanes, whereas some in and near Baku have up to eight. In the cities, the motorways are illuminated.

Highways edit

65 other highways are a level below M-level roads and connect main highways to communities. These highways are designated with the letter R. The highway network is four lanes wide, two in each direction. Like motorways, they are illuminated in the cities, but less frequently in towns. In Azerbaijan, highway signs are blue and the names of locations are printed in capital letters. The main highways in the country are:

Roads of local importance edit

Below R-level roads, roads of local importance connect M- and R-level roads to settlements. They are designated with Y for yerli (local). The road numbers are named in the format "Y-##-##", where # stands for a digit. The first two digits follow the same digits allocated to each district for license plates. The second pair of digits is assigned from 01 upwards in each district. Cities of republican significance^{[clarification needed]} do not have their individual codes, as there are no local roads, only republican, regional, and municipal.^[3]

  This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA.

• Roads in Georgia (country)
• Roads in Kazakhstan
• Roads in Kyrgyzstan
• Roads in Tajikistan