Kazakhstan Opens 1,600 Kilometers of Main Roads with World Bank Assistance
Over 1,600 kilometers of main roads have been put into operation in Kazakhstan as part of ongoing South-West and East-West projects financed by the World Bank, according to World Bank Country Manager for Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan Andrei Mikhnev. These projects, aimed at developing key transport corridors in multiple regions of the country, have received a total allocation of $3.2 billion. The bank is also preparing a new project in partnership with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to improve the transport sustainability and connectivity of the corridor between Zhezkazgan and Karagandy.
Minister of Transport Marat Karabayev reported that construction and repair work on 7,000 kilometers of roads will be completed by the end of the year. Several major road projects, including the Karagandy-Almaty, Aktobe-Kandyagash, Atyrau-Astrakhan, and Taldykorgan-Oskemen routes, are currently undergoing reconstruction. Additionally, several significant projects are set to be completed this year, such as the opening of the longest road tunnel in Kazakhstan on the Shakpak Baba pass and the commissioning of the 262-kilometer-long Merke-Burylbaytal highway.
Looking ahead, twelve projects with a total length of 4,500 kilometers are planned for implementation by 2029. Among these projects are the Karagandy-Zhezkazgan project, the Aktobe-Ulgaisyn section of the Western Europe-Western China corridor, and a 102-kilometer bypass road around the city of Saryagash in the Turkistan Region. These initiatives aim to further enhance transportation infrastructure in Kazakhstan and improve connectivity within the region.
