For years, Kazakhstan accepted substandard roads due to a loophole in the rules: now, the norms that allowed road works to be accepted with unresolved defects have been abolished, reports infohub.kz.
Previously, instead of requiring repairs, the contractor could have the cost of work reduced, part of the payment withheld, or the warranty period extended. According to the main transport prosecutor's office, violations were identified during a review of documents regulating the construction, quality control, and acceptance of highways. The prosecutor's office raised concerns about the methodology used by the National Center for Road Asset Quality.
"When individual defects were identified, acceptance of work was allowed without restoring the normative characteristics of the road surface. Instead of eliminating the deficiencies, the withholding of funds, reduction of the cost of completed work, or extension of the warranty period were provided for," the prosecutor's office said.
It noted that financial sanctions effectively allowed contractors not to eliminate identified deficiencies and did not ensure that roads met technical requirements.
Furthermore, the methodology allowed design decisions to be revised after non-conformities were discovered. The prosecutor's office emphasized that approved design documentation can only be changed in accordance with the procedure established by law.
Following a protest by the main transport prosecutor's office, the norms that allowed road works to be accepted with unresolved defects were removed from the order of the Ministry of Transport.