Government approves Astana transport improvement project for 2005-2010

The government of RK has conceptually approved a draft programme of Astana transport improvement for 2005-2010. This decision has been made today, December 21, at a regular government meeting in Astana, KZ-today correspondent reports.

"It is doubtless for everyone that this programme is necessary, because we all see a growth of transport opportunities and many hour jams on the streets of the capital," - Danial Akhmetov, prime minister of RK said. According to him, the programme will require around KZT 65 billion. "I do not think that the Ministry of Economy and Budget Planning should be frightened by this figure, because if it is distributed for 6 years, the annual burden for the budget will be around KZT 9 billion per annum," - D. Akhmetov explained. "It is the amount that we actually spend today for the improvement of Astana roads," - the head of government observed.

The prime minister of RK ordered the Ministry of Economy and Budget Planning together with Astana city administration to make the transport improvement programme a constituent part of Astana development programme for 2006-2010, intensifying at the same time the preparatory process and to prepare a feasibnility study of the draft programme.

The draft programme represented by Umirzak Shukeyev, Astana mayor, suggests roads construction, an introduction of alternative public transport in Astana, the parking system development, a renewal of bus and trolleybus fleets, and development of the construction materials production for the roads improvement. "The implementation of the programme will allow to achieve a rational redistribution inside of the city transport flows and to form a transport framework of the city," - U. Shukeyev stressed.

According to Astana administration, the number of transport means, registered in the capital in the period from 2000 to 2004, grew from 38 thousand to 90 thousand. As a result the main city roads are capable of letting through from 26 thousand to 42 thousand cars per day, although they were constructed for smaller quantities of transport, Astana mayor summed up.