State of the Nation Address 2026: all road border checkpoints to be rebuilt in 2027, Aral–Caspian highway to shorten the Trans-Caspian corridor by about 1,000 km

On 28 October 2026 President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered his Address to the people of Kazakhstan and dwelt specifically on roads and border checkpoints, El.kz reported.

According to the President, construction of the Aral–Caspian highway began in August. The project will shorten the Trans-Caspian corridor by about 1,000 km and cut cargo delivery time to three days.

The President ordered the high-quality reconstruction of all road border checkpoints to be completed next year. All roads — national ones (about 26% of the network) and local ones previously run by regional administrations — will now be managed by the Government through the Ministry of Transport. Work is also to begin on widening the Kokshetau–Petropavlovsk highway. The head of state noted that more than half of road transit through Kazakhstan is carried by foreign hauliers, and said the Government will take measures to support domestic road carriers.

For Gateway Logistics these are important reference points for oversized transport: road surface quality, border crossing capacity and a shorter leg to the Caspian directly shape routes for 45 t / 5-axle and 90 t / 10-axle lowbeds and 145 m³ road-trains on the China — Kazakhstan — Caspian — Azerbaijan — Georgia — Türkiye corridors.

Source: El.kz, 28 October 2026.