Kazakh government reviews road sector modernization

Kazakh government reviews road sector modernization

Kazakhstan will modernize the road sector and strengthen its transit potential on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, planning to reconstruct and build 8,000 kilometers of roads of the national network by 2029, with more than half of them to be done within the next few years. This was announced by Kazakh Minister of Transport Marat Karabayev during a meeting of the national headquarters for delivering the President’s election program. According to Karabayev, three projects of topmost priority are 2,000-kilometers long highways of the Russia’ border - Martuk - Aktobe - Ulgaisyn - Kyzylorda, Zhezkazgan - Karagandy road, and the bypass of the town of Saryagash. The minister noted that some sections of the roads have construction and installation works ongoing, while others expect to get started in 2024 and 2025. Along with this, Kazakhstan continues to develop the roadside service infrastructure. To date, over 1,500 service facilities operate along the national highways, with nearly 80 percent of them complying with the requirements of the national standard. Also, over 300 new cafes, petrol stations, and retail outlets are slated to be built within the next six years. Besides, 14,000 kilometers of regional and district roads are planned to be repaired by 2029. Mechanisms will also be introduced to tighten control over the process of highway construction.