diff --git a/include/server/connection.hpp b/include/server/connection.hpp
index b47a2a04f9d..0680735f0e3 100644
--- a/include/server/connection.hpp
+++ b/include/server/connection.hpp
@@ -53,7 +53,9 @@ class Connection : public std::enable_shared_from_this<Connection>
     void handle_write(const boost::system::error_code &e);
 
     /// Handle read timeout
-    void handle_timeout();
+    void handle_timeout(boost::system::error_code);
+
+    void handle_shutdown();
 
     std::vector<char> compress_buffers(const std::vector<char> &uncompressed_data,
                                        const http::compression_type compression_type);
diff --git a/src/server/connection.cpp b/src/server/connection.cpp
index 5217971948d..e64706d034b 100644
--- a/src/server/connection.cpp
+++ b/src/server/connection.cpp
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@
 
 #include <iterator>
 #include <string>
-#include <util/log.hpp>
 #include <vector>
 
 namespace osrm
@@ -35,10 +34,13 @@ void Connection::start()
                                 boost::asio::placeholders::error,
                                 boost::asio::placeholders::bytes_transferred)));
 
-    // init async timer
-    timer.cancel();
-    timer.expires_from_now(boost::posix_time::seconds(keepalive_timeout));
-    timer.async_wait(boost::bind(&Connection::handle_timeout, this->shared_from_this()));
+    if (keep_alive) {
+        //Ok, we know it is not a first request, as we switched to keepalive
+        timer.cancel();
+        timer.expires_from_now(boost::posix_time::seconds(keepalive_timeout));
+        timer.async_wait(
+                std::bind(&Connection::handle_timeout, this->shared_from_this(), std::placeholders::_1));
+    }
 }
 
 void Connection::handle_read(const boost::system::error_code &error, std::size_t bytes_transferred)
@@ -48,6 +50,11 @@ void Connection::handle_read(const boost::system::error_code &error, std::size_t
         return;
     }
 
+    if (keep_alive) {
+        timer.cancel();
+        timer.expires_from_now(boost::posix_time::seconds(0));
+    }
+
     // no error detected, let's parse the request
     http::compression_type compression_type(http::no_compression);
     RequestParser::RequestStatus result;
@@ -132,8 +139,7 @@ void Connection::handle_read(const boost::system::error_code &error, std::size_t
 /// Handle completion of a write operation.
 void Connection::handle_write(const boost::system::error_code &error)
 {
-    if (!error)
-    {
+    if (!error) {
         if (keep_alive && processed_requests > 0)
         {
             --processed_requests;
@@ -143,15 +149,27 @@ void Connection::handle_write(const boost::system::error_code &error)
         }
         else
         {
-            // Initiate graceful connection closure.
-            handle_timeout();
+            handle_shutdown();
         }
     }
 }
 
-/// Handle completion of a write operation.
-void Connection::handle_timeout()
+/// Handle completion of a timeout timer..
+void Connection::handle_timeout(boost::system::error_code ec)
+{
+    // We can get there for 3 reasons: spurious wakeup by timer.cancel(), which should be ignored
+    // Slow client with a delayed _first_ request, which should be ignored too
+    // Absent next request during waiting time in the keepalive mode - should stop right there.
+    if (ec != boost::asio::error::operation_aborted)
+    {
+        TCP_socket.cancel();
+        handle_shutdown();
+    }
+}
+
+void Connection::handle_shutdown()
 {
+    // Initiate graceful connection closure.
     boost::system::error_code ignore_error;
     TCP_socket.shutdown(boost::asio::ip::tcp::socket::shutdown_both, ignore_error);
 }