The modernization of the Zhezkazgan-Kyzylorda highway, with traffic set to open along its entire length, will be completed in the coming months. This was announced by Yesset Baiken, governor of the Ulytau Region, according to infohub.kz.
"Work on the Zhezkazgan-Kyzylorda highway is already 90 percent complete. Traffic is planned to open in the coming months. On the Zhezkazgan-Karaganda route, work on the roadbed and material and technical supply is planned to be fully completed this year. In addition, repairs to the 89-kilometer section of the Ulytau-Arkalyk road will be completed in October," the governor's press service quoted him as saying.
Yesset Baiken spoke at the opening ceremony of the railway station in the regional center, the city of Zhezkazgan. In addition, modernization of the stations at Kyzylzhar, Karazhal, and in Zhanaarka has been completed. The Ulytau Region is currently connected by rail to six regions of Kazakhstan. The modernized stations will create more comfortable and safe conditions for residents of the region and visitors to the area.
The governor noted that the modernization of the stations is an important step in developing the region's transport infrastructure. Construction of the Kyzylzhar-Mointy railway line is also underway, which will boost the country's transit potential.
Earlier, Kazakhs on social media repeatedly complained about the terrible condition of the Zhezkazgan-Kyzylorda highway, which connects two regional centers by the shortest route. This road also allows a shorter route from Kyzylorda to Astana and further north or to Russia, but due to the poor quality of the road surface, and after the start of modernization and detours on certain sections, drivers prefer to take the longer route through the south of the country (about 2,000 km through the south, Balkhash, and Karaganda).
The Zhezkazgan-Kyzylorda highway is 424 km long, of which 216 km lies in the Kyzylorda Region. In November 2025, Nurlibek Nalibayev, governor of the Kyzylorda Region (now First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan), announced that reconstruction of the 216-km section in the Kyzylorda Region had been completed. The section in the Ulytau Region is still under construction. Modernization work on the Zhezkazgan-Kyzylorda highway began back in 2022.