A regional seminar organized by the Kazakhstan Road Research Institute (KazdorNII) on “Innovation and Cadres: Prospects for Development of Road Infrastructure in Western Kazakhstan” was held in Atyrau. The seminar was attended by specialists from four regions of western Kazakhstan, as well as more than 500 school students, considered as future specialists of the industry.

Satzhan Ablaliyev, Vice Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan, made a welcoming speech at the opening of the seminar. He emphasized that the country is actively developing its transport and transit potential, while carrying out a large-scale modernization of transport infrastructure with the introduction of new technologies and IT solutions. The seminar presented domestic technologies and materials for road construction, the production facilities of which are located in Atyrau and Uralsk. Special emphasis was made on the developments of the Kazakhstan manufacturers, who presented their achievements and innovations aimed at improving the quality of road pavement in the conditions of the region.

One of the key topics was the use of new materials developed by scientists of KazdorNII, including catalysts for sand and sand and gravel mixture. These materials significantly increase the strength and durability of road pavement, which is especially important for places with extreme environmental conditions, where the temperature is between +45 and -45 degrees Celsius. The specific geographical location of western Kazakhstan, which requires special approaches to road construction due to the shortage of inert materials, unstable soils and lack of specialized educational institutions, was also taken into account.

Special attention was paid to popularization of the profession of road builder. School students were shown that modern road construction includes not only physical labor, but also the use of IT-technologies, design, diagnostics, bridge inspection, scientific research and other aspects.