Kazakhstan, Astana, July 3 / Trend D. Mukhtarov /
A 700 kilometre railway plot on the Western Europe - Western China project is planned to be commissioned in 2012, the Kazakh Ministry of Transport and Communications told Trend today.
"At present, work is being done in a 1621 kilometre plot (34 plots)," the ministry said. "About 21 general contractors, 15 of them foreign, three Kazakh and three joint ventures with foreign companies and 66 sub-contractors have been involved."
According to the press service, more than 35,000 road builders, including 34,400 Kazakh workers and 579 foreigners have been involved in the construction of the road.
It is planned to begin working on a 448 kilometre plot in the Shymkent-Zhambyl region. - 79km, Almaty-Khorgos - 304 km and the Taraz bypass - 65 km by late 2012.
It should be stressed that the length of the Western Europe - Western China international transit corridor is 2787 km with around 2452 kilometres to be reconstructed.
It is planned to transfer 1391 km into the first technical category of the four-lane road from Horgos on the border with China to Kyzylorda, 1062 km from Kyzylorda to Martuk the second category. About 1079 km of roads stretching the total length of the corridor from Khorgos to Turkistan will be constructed with a cement concrete pavement.
The 335 kilometre plots (273 kilometres in the Aktobe region and 65 kilometres in the Almaty region) were reconstructed in Kazakhstan in 2003-2005. Full-scale operations began in 2009. About 2452 kilometres will be reconstructed. A 215 kilometre-plot from the city of Karabutak to the border of the Kyzylorda Region was commissioned in 2011.
The project will be fully completed in 2015.