WE-WC transport corridor to fully operate in late 2016

/By AzerNews/

By Aynur Karimova

The Kazakh Investment and Development Ministry has revealed the date of complete commissioning of the Western Europe - Western China transport corridor.

The ministry reported last week that the corridor will be launched in full in late 2016.

"The delay in its commissioning is related to the sources of funding," the ministry said.

Earlier it was stated at a meeting of the Accounts Committee of Kazakhstan that the project is on the verge of collapse and the construction will not be completed on schedule.

Originally it was planned to complete the project in 2012. The different sources of financing, such as a concession, investments, etc. were planned to be drawn for its implementation.

The Kazakh government decided to draw the loans from the international financial institutions in 2013. The completion of the project was postponed for 2016.

The implementation of the Western Europe - Western China international transit corridor was launched in 2009 upon the Kazakh president’s order. Some 2,452 kilometers are planned to be reconstructed, of which 1,390 kilometers - the first technical category with four-lane traffic (from Khorgos on the Chinese border to the city of Kyzylorda) and 1,062 kilometers - the second technical category (from Kyzylorda city to Martuk settlement, Aktobe region).

Some 1,079 kilometers of roads (from Khorgos to Turkestan) will be built with the cement concrete pavement. The traffic was opened from the Russian border to Shymkent, including Zhambyl, Aktobe, Kyzylorda and South Kazakhstan regions with a total length of 1,884 kilometers from 2009 to 2014.

The Western Europe - Western China corridor is planned to be connected to the Big Almaty Ring Road, when it will be built, in the future.

The completion of the project will provide a safe and modern transport system between Eastern Europe and the Chinese border, following part of the historic Silk Road. Main works include the rehabilitation of roadways and bridges, the construction of road junctions, parking area, road maintenance centers, lighting and road signs.