ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 14. A 42-kilometer stretch of the Almaty-Shymkent highway in Kazakhstan has officially opened after completing an extensive renovation, Trend reports via the Ministry of Transport.
The freshly revamped stretch, tying together the towns of Uzynagash and Otar, is a vital cog in the wheel of the transport corridor that bridges Kazakhstan to the southern territories, along with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. This highway forms a key part of the larger Western Europe–Western China route.
During the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Transport Maksat Kaliakparov highlighted that the completion of the Uzynagash-Otar section is part of a broader initiative that has seen the renovation of 13,000 kilometers of roads across Kazakhstan this year.
A total of 163 pieces of machinery, 290 specialists, 2 asphalt plants, and 4 road construction units were utilized in the two-year restoration project.
According to the Ministry of Transport's plans for the country's transport network, by 2030, Kazakhstan will construct 4,700 kilometers of new roads, with 3,700 kilometers of them being first-category roads. These improvements are expected to significantly boost connectivity and trade throughout the region.
The Western Europe–Western China Highway (WE-WC Highway) is a network of highways that has been linking up St. Petersburg in Russia, Almaty in Kazakhstan, and Lianyungang in China since 2018, enabling seamless highway road travel and transport between Europe and China.
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