Kazakhstan road updates

Berry · Post by **Berry** » Fri Aug 23, 2019 4:48 pm

Some more updates:

Astana-Karaganda: new highway, 2x2 lanes. I think the maximum speed is 120 km/h. Around 15 km before karaganda the highway stops. It is a toll road. 400 tenge for a passenger car.
Karaganda-Balgash: they are building a new highway and should be finished in 2022/2023 according to the signs. The current road is pretty good, however do to construction you have to leave the road for a couple of hundred meters (onto gravel) every now and then. 90 km/h (or more) is doable most of the times. Note: very few fuel stations (only 2 or 3) on this entire section.
Balqash-Shyganak: pretty good tarmac. Average speed of around 80 km/h. Also building a new highway, but progress is not as far as the previous stretch.
Shyganak-Almaty (M36): pain in the ass road with a lot of bumps and potholes. Also due to construction of a new road, you have to leave the highway pretty often. At around 250km before Almaty they opened a stretch of around 10 kilometer perfect tarmac, the same goes for 140 until 160 kilometer before Almaty. The last 100 kilometer is almost perfect tarmac (90+ km/h).

As there are a lot of roadworks on the roads mentioned: most of the times the speed limit is 50 km/h and according to the construction progress will be for a few more years. Of course, everybody drives 90+, but beware of police. There are a lot of them on seamingly random and deserted places...

Rene · Post by **Rene** » Sun Aug 25, 2019 2:21 pm

Astana to Ekibastus: the first 210 Km new highway, speedlimit 120 km/h, than 50 Km not so good, but not bad, 20 Km before Ekibastus again new highway still under construction, so mostly one side is only open on one lane. Ekibastus to Pavlodar, new highway, not totaly finished yet but one side open, one lane, speed limit 60-80 km/h.
You can drive from Astana till Pavlodar on Aspahlt.
Pavlodar till russian border Kulunda, good Asphalt. (After Pavlodar till Barnaul good asphalt via Blagoweschtschenka)
Driven 17-19 August 2019

himbel · Post by **himbel** » Tue Jul 12, 2022 4:11 pm

Hey there,

we would soon like to transit Kazakhstan from Aqtau all the way to Kyrgyzstan with some stops in between, which is approx 3500km.

I'm now wondering, how long this will take and what we need to expect in terms of road conditions.
Does anyone know, if the infrastructure projects are already finished?

Thanks

growwiththego · Post by **growwiththego** » Wed Sep 14, 2022 10:13 am

Road update on road from Astrachan (RU) to Atyrau (KZ):

The Russian part of the road is in good shape, so you can drive constantly fast.
Crossing the Kazakh border, the roads get pretty shitty - lots of potholes / unfinished construction road - they should be doing the construction of the road, but we rarely saw somebody working there! The whole part until Atyrau (300 km) stays like that, apart from some little parts with good tarmac.

OWNER · Post by **OWNER** » Tue Oct 25, 2022 2:26 pm

The latest information about the roads of Kazakhstan and other things can be found here. "Wild West". Cities and roads of Kazakhstan. 2022

OWNER · Post by **OWNER** » Mon Apr 10, 2023 1:33 pm

For those who have firmly decided to relax in the summer on Lake Alakol, have already booked a place in the best boarding house and, in spite of everything, will go there by car, this story has been written. Everything is said here - what roads are there now and the price of travel on paid sections, is there gasoline on the highway and how much, where you can have a bite to eat and meet with the traffic police. We are not talking about the beach holiday itself and swimming, at the time of the trip (March 23, 2023) access to the water was somewhat difficult.

https://roadstravel.ru/ozero-alakol-doroga-2023/

The road from Alma-Ata to the shore of Lake Alakol. Six hundred and twenty kilometers in seven and a half hours. Video.
https://youtu.be/Nfwt2HP6cC4

Lagerfeld · Post by **Lagerfeld** » Tue Apr 11, 2023 5:55 pm

May be this lake is wonderful - I

Lagerfeld · Post by **Lagerfeld** » Tue Apr 11, 2023 5:57 pm

May be this lake is wonderful - I don't know, I read much more about this here:

https://kazakhstan.travel/tourist-spot/ ... ake-alakol

I am now on my way to ALM / KZ; till now I managed about 4000 km - from Germany to the east Turkey, almost at the border town Hopa - opposite GEO.

From here I'll go very fast to GEO / Batumi, than to Gori, birth place of Stalin; than through the Military Highway to North Ossetia, capital Vladikavkas. After this comes for me Grosny.
And than I'll decide: Should I go to KZ or I shouldn't ???

If the KZ-roads really in this catastrophal situation like I saw here in the videos I'm sure I don't go to KZ; in this case I will find other better destinations . . .

OWNER · Post by **OWNER** » Wed Apr 12, 2023 3:32 am

The roads are normal, but we have a saying "What is good for a Russian is death for a German." )))

Lagerfeld · Post by **Lagerfeld** » Sat Apr 15, 2023 1:51 pm

@ OWNER:

This sounds like a proverb. Is this serious?

I am now for a very few days in Grosny and my friends here recommended to me to go 500 km to Astrakhan and from there to the border zo KZ, next town will be Atyrau.

All together I have from Grosny to Almaty about 3500 km.

I think I will try this; my friends told me there are "only" 150 km bad roads.

Can you tell me something to my planning?

Thank's, Tony.

Caravanistan