Kazakh driver Kuanysh Kalizhanov posted a video on the social network Threads showing a nighttime drive along the Uralsk-Aksai highway, where the road surface is visibly worn and in need of repair. "Everyone who goes to Russia says in one voice that Russian roads are ideal. They get bombed, but we get the potholes," the user wrote, as reported by infohub.kz.
Talgar Umarov, founder and editor of the Umarovnews website, told Kursiv Avto that the condition of the Aksai highway has long angered residents of the West Kazakhstan region. Many residents of Uralsk work in Aksai on a rotational basis, including at the Karachaganak gas condensate field, so the road is constantly busy.
"Residents of Aksai, Uralsk, and roadside villages have been asking for this road to be repaired for years. About five years ago, repairs seemed to start, but a problem arose: the highway was divided into four sections, and the most problematic one ended up in the middle. For some reason, they couldn't find contractors for those sections for a long time," Umarov said.
According to him, the regional akimat promises to complete repairs and put the road into operation by October 2026. However, in May and June, the region experienced prolonged rains, so it is unclear whether they will meet the deadline.
"Many people, to avoid the worst section, go through the village of Bogdanovka. The route is longer. During the severe flood of 2024, the president visited those areas, but he was flown in by helicopter, so he didn't see or feel the Aksai highway," the editor said.
The highway is also known in the region for frequent fatal accidents. One occurred on June 15, 2026, at the 52nd kilometer of the Fedorovka-Aksai road. Three cars collided, and two female passengers in a Toyota Prado, aged 55 and 52, died at the scene from their injuries.
Earlier, Kursiv Avto reported that KazAvtoZhol asked not to blame the company for all road deaths.