ASTANA, Kazakhstan, July 9. Kazakhstan intends to raise prices by 20 percent for travel on toll roads, said Transport Minister Marat Karabayev during a government meeting, Trend reports.
"Compared to other nations like Russia, Belarus, Turkey, China, and Poland, the toll highways in Kazakhstan are much more affordable. Regarding this matter, the possibility of a 20 percent price increase to cover maintenance expenses is being discussed. Concurrently, local drivers will receive suitable incentives. It will fall primarily on transport vehicles traversing the nation," the minister said.
As Karabayev noted, 80 billion tenge (about $166.6 million) is needed to maintain 25,000 kilometers of roads of republican significance.
"Today, the total length of toll roads is 3,200 kilometers. At the end of last year, 30 billion tenge (about $62.5 million) was collected from these roads. The funds were used for road maintenance, routine repairs, and the purchase of equipment," he said.
The minister pointed out that to maintain roads that have undergone reconstruction at the standard level, this year it is planned to gradually introduce tolls on 11 sections with a length of more than 2,000 kilometers.
To date, 13 international transport corridors have been formed and are operating in Kazakhstan, including 5 railways and 8 roads.
Over the last decade, Kazakhstan's transportation and logistics infrastructure has received an investment of about $30 billion.
Furthermore, over the next five years, a whopping 40 billion euros will be required to carry out significant transportation infrastructure projects in Kazakhstan.