Road to Paradise or Repairs: What Issues Were Revealed by the Construction of the Astana-Almaty Highway?

The freight carrier Walter Bychinskiy spoke about the radical changes on the Astana — Almaty route.

“There was a quiet horror. For 10 km before reaching Almaty, there was simply no road. Now this road feels like paradise. Everything is understood in comparison. This year, especially in autumn, many sections were opened, and almost the entire stretch from Karaganda to Balkhash has become a full-fledged road with two lanes in each direction. Only a very small piece remains,” shared Bychinskiy.

He identified the worst section as being from Priozersk to Shyganak. Another problematic stretch, from Kanshengel to Almaty, was asphalted by contractors who had previously completed work on the BAKAD.

“In just a few months, the road was covered with fresh asphalt. Travel time has decreased, and driving has become easier,” he added.

He considers the new surface to be of good quality. However, there are some issues.

“They first lay a temporary layer, and then the final one, which is up to 20 centimeters thick. They do it thoroughly. But the joints on the bridges are simply terrible. They have even gotten worse after restoration than they were. This affects safety because you have to sharply reduce speed on a high-speed road,” noted the carrier.

When asked about toll sections of the road, Walter Bychinskiy acknowledged their usefulness but opposed raising tariffs.

“5140 tenge for the Temirtau — Astana round trip for a single vehicle is expensive, and for a truck, it’s even more. But I still support toll roads because the savings on vehicle depreciation cover the costs. Ultimately, all this falls on the consumer,” he explained.

One of the key issues, according to him, remains the poor organization of road closures.

“I was in an accident due to fog and poorly thought-out road closures. In Europe, there are always vehicles with powerful lights at closed sections, but here they just closed the road. I left in the morning, and unexpectedly encountered a two-and-a-half-kilometer traffic jam near Temirtau. I didn’t manage to slow down and got into an accident. I incurred losses of seven million tenge,” the carrier recounted.

“No one remembers the pandemic and the rising cost of materials”

Speaking about this long-term road construction, the chairman of the road committee, Tolegen Abdullin, urges not to forget the length of the Astana — Almaty route, which is 900 km.

“On some sections, contractors were determined earlier, on others later. On two sections (Balkhash — Buralbaytal), the contractors did not complete the work. We had to terminate contracts with them, impose penalties, and revoke bank guarantees. These companies are one Azerbaijani and one Turkish. This section is large — 300 km long, and at least eight contractors worked on it,” Tolegen Abdullin reported.

He also referred to the pandemic, which slowed down the major construction.

“At the same time, there was a significant spike in prices for construction materials. For some reason, no one remembers this. It was literally two years ago,” he noted.

According to the committee chairman, asphalt concrete has already been laid on most of the route.

“As of today, the entire route has four lanes of traffic. However, in some sections (for example, in the Balkhash — Buralbaytal, Sarashagan areas), work continues on the upper layer of the pavement, installation of road signs, and barriers. This is about 19 kilometers. These works will be completed by December 2024,” he announced.

Abdullin emphasized that the temporary traffic restrictions are related to ensuring the safety of workers:

“We close one side so our workers can perform their tasks safely,” said Abdullin.

The reconstruction of the road is being carried out using budgetary and borrowed funds.

“About 350 billion tenge has been spent on the project over five years. Of this, 15% is budgetary funds, and the rest are loans from the World Bank, Eximbank (China), and the European Bank. These loans are concessional. For example, the Chinese loan has an interest rate of 2% per annum, while the World Bank loan is 1.5% for 20 years,” Abdullin explained.

Modern technologies are used in the reconstruction, including the laying of “warm asphalt”:

“This technology allows asphalt to be laid at temperatures close to zero. This is especially important in our climatic conditions, where the construction season is limited,” the committee head noted.

He also responded to a question about a possible increase in tariffs on toll sections.

“For now, tariffs remain uniform. We predict that the intensity of traffic on this route will ensure its profitability,” said the head of the committee.

How long will it be possible to enjoy the road?

However, it is likely that enjoying a fully open road will not last long. Some sections were built five years ago. And five years is the period after which a road requires minor repairs. Overall, Tolegen Abdullin explained in detail when road repairs are needed.

For example, the lifespan of a cement concrete surface is 25 years:

• after five years — minor repairs (joint replacement, updating the wear layer);
• after 10 years — medium repairs;
• after 15 years — major repairs (replacement of the base in subsidence areas).

The lifespan of an asphalt concrete surface is 16 years:

• after five years — minor repairs (replacement of the top layer);
• after 10 years — medium repairs;
• after 15 years — major repairs.

And road closures for this reason are a reality that needs to be accepted, according to Tolegen Abdullin.

“If inter-repair work is not carried out in time, in seven to eight years it can lead to serious damage, and repairs will be more expensive,” he emphasized.

Tolegen Abdullin noted that the main difficulties are associated with the long-term nature and cost of projects.

“Capital-intensive projects require significant resources. But taking into account the use of modern technologies and optimal use of local materials, we expect a long service life for the road,” Abdullin concluded.

Why are projects not completed on time?

According to scientific consultant of KazDorNII, Nurlan Nugumanov, one of the key problems in road construction is the protracted procedures.

“The estimate documentation is prepared in advance, then it goes through expertise, which takes a year. Then two years are spent on state procurement and tenders. By the time the contractor arrives at the site, the estimate is already outdated, and material prices have changed,” the expert explained.

Contractors often stop work due to the inability to stay within the previous budget:

“A contractor — be it a Chinese, Japanese, or anyone else — comes and says, ‘Sorry, but I won’t work at a loss. Recalculate.’ This is the main reason why projects are not completed on time,” he believes.

Many foreign contractors only complete part of the project, leaving local companies with limited resources to finish it.

“We do not have good service providers — strong, fast, skilled, and so on. Usually, the Chinese come with money. They often take part of the project and build it themselves, while leaving the rest to local contractors under survival conditions, which is why nothing progresses,” Nugumanov emphasized.

“We cannot ensure year-round travel without snowdrifts and ice”

He also harshly criticized the road maintenance system in Kazakhstan. He believes that the authorities do not know how to properly maintain the roads.

“Road maintenance sections (DIE) are practically drained. They lack equipment, personnel, and funding. They can only patch potholes and remove snow in winter. But for full road maintenance — replacement of the wear layer or repairs — there are simply no resources,” Nurlan Nugumanov stated.</