Kazakhstan has launched construction of three major highways to strengthen its position in the Eurasian trade corridor. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony via teleconference, emphasized that these projects are a strategic step for the country's transport infrastructure.
Tokayev stated that the transport and logistics sector is the locomotive of Kazakhstan's economy. He noted that road freight transport has doubled in the last five years and that last year these services generated 1.5 trillion tenge (approximately $3.16 billion) in revenue.
One of the projects now under construction, the 800-kilometer Beyneu–Saksaulsk Highway, will directly connect checkpoints on the Chinese border to the ports of Aktau and Kuryk. Thanks to this link, the freight transport distance from China to Europe will be cut by 1,000 kilometers and delivery time will drop to 3 days.
The other two projects involve capacity expansion and comprehensive renovation of the Kyzylorda–Saksaulsk and Ulgaysyn–Saksaulsk highways. Work has also begun on these roads, which have a total length of 774 kilometers.
President Tokayev announced that once all projects are completed, freight flow is expected to increase 2.5 times to reach 13.2 million tons per year. Noting that Kazakhstan is located at a geopolitically important crossroads, Tokayev said these investments are of vital importance.