ASTANA – Approximately one third of Kazakhstan’s roadways will be subject to toll charges by 2020, Vice Minister of Investment and Development Zhenis Kassymbek announced Feb. 2.
“In terms of transport infrastructure development, it is planned to increase the length of toll roads of national importance up to 7,000 kilometres by 2022. It is about one third of [the total length of] national roads of 23,000 kilometres. It [concerns] such roads as Astana – Temirtau, Almaty – Kapchagai, Astana – Pavlodar and other heavy-duty roads,” Kassymbek said at a meeting in the Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament), while discussing transportation infrastructure development under the new Nurly Zhol (Path to the Future) economic policy.
He also said that initial preparatory work would begin in the first half of this year to introduce payment devices along the Shymkent – Blagoveshchensk and Shymkent – Kyzylorda roadways, adding that the government is considering involving private investors in the toll road programme.
Kassymbek also said his ministry is considering installing open payment devices for trucks with load capacities over 12 tonnes on smaller roads qualified as being of second technical category.
