Almaty–Kaskelen Highway to Be Widened Following Complaints to President

The Almaty–Kaskelen highway, one of the busiest roads in the Almaty metropolitan area, will be widened to eight lanes. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev issued the order after residents complained about persistent traffic congestion, Orda.kz reports.

Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov ordered construction to begin on July 20. The contractor must deploy equipment and workers to the site by the end of this week.

The project covers an eight-kilometer section of the highway. In addition to widening the road to eight lanes, two interchanges and nine pedestrian overpasses will be built. According to the Ministry of Transport, the work will double the highway’s capacity. The project is expected to be completed by December 2027.

Bektenov stressed that the cost of the project must not increase. To prevent speculation, the prices of land plots to be acquired for construction were ordered to be fixed at their July 14 levels.

According to Almaty akim Darkhan Satybaldy, around 300,000 vehicles enter the city every day. Including traffic within the city, the total number exceeds one million vehicles. The Almaty–Kaskelen highway currently carries around 60,000 vehicles a day and is considered one of the busiest roads in the region.

The authorities are also working on other projects. The extension of Abay Avenue to the Big Almaty Ring Road is continuing, while construction has begun in Almaty Region on an alternative 32-kilometer road from the village of Uzynagash. The new road is expected to ease congestion on the Almaty–Kaskelen highway.

The meeting also covered the development of other transport routes in the metropolitan area, including Almaty–Issyk and Almaty–Talgar, as well as railway and metro projects.

Original author: Elvira Ivannikova

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