Can Kazakhstan Balance Cheap Toll Roads With Modernization?

The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA – Kazakhstan continues to operate one of the world’s most affordable toll road systems, with passenger vehicles paying an average of 207 tenge (US$0,44) per 100 kilometers on Category I highways, the country’s highest-standard roads, using prepaid accounts. According to national road operator KazAvtoZhol’s release from July 28, comparable toll roads in China, France, Japan, Russia and Türkiye cost 15 to 40 times more.

Photo credit: KazAvtoZhol The figures raise a broader question: can Kazakhstan maintain exceptionally low tolls while financing the infrastructure needed to support its ambitions as a major Eurasian transport hub? Affordable tolls support competitiveness Kazakhstan’s pricing policy aligns with the country’s broader economic priorities, rather than an effort to maximize toll revenue. Low charges help reduce transport costs across the country’s vast territory and strengthen its competitiveness as a transit corridor linking China, Central Asia, the Caspian region and Europe.

Passenger vehicles pay tolls only on Kazakhstan’s highest-standard Category I highways, while commercial vehicles are charged according to their weight because of their greater impact on road wear. Tariffs are approved by the government and linked to the monthly calculation index (MCI) rather than set independently by KazAvtoZhol. Road quality remains the bigger challenge Low tariffs, however, do not resolve the challenge of maintaining road quality.

KazAvtoZhol has acknowledged this by suspending toll collection on road sections where defects affect safety until repairs are completed. This year, this mechanism is applied to sections of 14 toll roads. The government has invested heavily in road upgrades, with more than 34,000 kilometers repaired in 2019-2025.

Today, 94% of national roads and 91% of local roads meet official standards. Yet growing public concerns show that maintaining roads across Kazakhstan’s vast territory remains a major challenge, even as infrastructure expansion continues. Transport Minister Nurlan Sauranbayev has attributed part of the challenge to the gap between the country’s extensive 95,000-kilometer road network and available maintenance funding.

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