Construction of a new bridge over the Irtysh River has begun in Ust-Kamenogorsk, along with the extension of Serikbayev Street from the ring road. The project aims to relieve the city's main arteries and improve transport links between districts separated by the river, according to infohub.kz.

As stated by Nurymbet Saktaganov, akim of the East Kazakhstan Region, about 140,000 vehicles are currently registered in Ust-Kamenogorsk. Regional authorities forecast that this number could exceed 200,000 within the next 5 years. With such growth, the existing infrastructure on the Kazakhstan Street route will no longer be sufficient for comfortable traffic.

The new bridge's capacity will be up to 80,000 vehicles per day.

"The most important thing is the convenience of residents, so they can travel quickly and safely without traffic jams," emphasized Nurymbet Saktaganov.

According to the project's specifications, construction is scheduled for 2026-2029. The project includes a 2.264 km road, an 834.8 m bridge over the Irtysh, and a 42.2 m bridge over a channel.

The crossing will have 6 lanes. The roadway width will be 26 m. Each direction will have 2 lanes 3.5 m wide, with the outer lanes 4 m wide designated for public transport. Sidewalks 2.25 m wide and a 1.5 m wide bicycle path will be built on both sides of the road.

The bridge will be steel-reinforced concrete with monolithic spans on the left bank side. Soft entry slabs are planned on the approaches.

A separate set of works involves power grids. The contractor will need to relocate high-voltage lines and 7 heavy masts, placing them at a distance of 26 to 31 m from the roadway. Additionally, 70 km of wires are to be replaced.

The regional akim emphasized that relevant authorities will monitor the quality and deadlines of construction.

The head of the region also linked the development of transport infrastructure to the tourism potential of East Kazakhstan. According to him, President of Kazakhstan Qasym-Jomart Toqaev has instructed special attention to be paid to tourism development. This requires modern roads, bridges, and other infrastructure.

Alongside the new crossing, other projects aimed at developing the tourism sector are being implemented in the region. The new bridge is expected to reduce the transport load on existing routes, cut travel time, and improve road safety.