The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide up to 230 million euros to complete the modernisation of a 234-kilometre stretch of road between Aktobe and Ulgaisyn, in western Kazakhstan. The project forms part of the Trans-Caspian Corridor and the route linking Western Europe with Western China, a strategic infrastructure for the transport of goods and passengers between Europe and Asia.

The project will transform a single-carriageway road into a dual carriageway, with the aim of improving traffic flow, enhancing regional connectivity and strengthening Kazakhstan’s position as a transit hub between the two continents. This EBRD loan is the second tranche of a financing package for the state-owned road company QazAvtoZhol. Furthermore, the project will be co-financed by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and forms part of the country’s national road programme, which also receives support from other international organisations such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank.

In addition to widening the road, the plan includes the introduction of smart technology such as electronic toll collection, sensors to monitor vehicle weight and weather forecasting systems, with the aim of improving safety and traffic management. The digitalisation of Kazakhstan’s road sector will also be driven forward through the E-Joldar platform, designed for road asset management and the development of smart control solutions. With this operation, the EBRD is strengthening its presence in Kazakhstan, where it has already invested nearly 12,800 million dollars in 354 projects.

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