Kazakhstan highway being handled by consortium

An international consortium has been formed that will handle a major highway project in Kazakhstan. Worth US$730 million, the consortium’s contract is to build and operate a new tolled ring road around the capital, Almaty. The construction consortium comprises the Turkish contractors Alarko and 3340 Makyol, 3093 SK Engineering & Construction and Korea Expressway. The funding package for the project meanwhile is being provided jointly by the International Finance Corp and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The construction work is expected to cost $540 million.

The project includes the construction of 21 bridges and eight interchanges and the ring road will feature up to six lanes along certain stretches, with three in either direction. At other stretches the route will have four lanes, with two in either direction. Construction is expected to take just over four years to complete and the consortium has a 16 year concession package to operate the highway, after which the management responsibility for the ring road will revert back to the Kazakhstan Government.