A defect in the cement concrete pavement at the 216th km of the Astana-Shchuchinsk highway was eliminated promptly, KazAvtoZhol JSC reported. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The company commented on information spreading on social media and some public pages about the condition of the pavement on the republican highway Astana-Shchuchinsk. KazAvtoZhol stated that some publications mislead drivers because the defect has already been fixed.
According to the company, on June 22, 2026, road services during planned monitoring and diagnostic work detected buckling of the cement concrete pavement at the 216th km of the Astana-Shchuchinsk highway in the direction of Astana.
During this period, the region experienced high air temperatures of about 36-38 degrees Celsius. KazAvtoZhol explained that under such weather conditions, internal temperature stresses in concrete slabs can occur on sections with cement concrete pavement. To timely identify such risks, road services regularly conduct inspections and preventive measures.
After detecting the defect, measures were taken to ensure road safety. Together with patrol police officers, traffic flow regulation was organized, and temporary road signs and technical traffic management devices were installed.
The company noted that thanks to the timely detection of the defect and prompt actions of road services, no threat to the life and health of road users was allowed. There were no casualties.
Currently, the defect has been eliminated, and safe traffic is ensured on this route.
KazAvtoZhol emphasized that information about the situation was officially published on June 22, and the progress of road works was shown at that time. However, two days later, materials began to spread massively on social media, presenting the already eliminated defect as a current problem on the highway.
"Such presentation of information misleads drivers and creates unjustified anxiety among road users. In fact, we are talking about the dissemination of outdated materials without indicating that the defect was promptly eliminated and traffic on this section is ensured in a safe mode," the company reported.
Road services will continue monitoring sections with cement concrete pavement, especially during high temperatures. Drivers were asked to rely only on official sources of information, comply with road sign requirements, speed limits, and be careful on sections where road works are underway.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that in Akmola and Pavlodar regions, road services are eliminating defects in cement concrete pavement on the Astana-Shchuchinsk and Astana-Pavlodar highways. KazAvtoZhol explained that in hot weather, concrete slabs expand, and when temperatures drop, they contract, so defects including pavement buckling may occur on some sections.
Also, the company reported that on June 22 in the Pavlodar region on the KAZ04 highway "Astana — Shiderty — Pavlodar — Uspenka — border of the Russian Federation," a potentially dangerous section was identified at km 342+500 in the direction Pavlodar — Astana. There, specialists detected signs of increased internal stress in cement concrete slabs at an early stage and began work to relieve stress followed by the installation of asphalt concrete pavement.