In 2023, Kazakhstan launched a large-scale audit of road regulations and standards, which will be completed by 2026. The main task is to form a modern regulatory base that complies with global trends and safety requirements.

KazdorNII explained how and why the work on updating and optimizing the old set of regulatory documents governing the country's road sector is being carried out.

The key step was the development of the document “Regulatory Documents of the road industry”. The industry-specific regulatory documents define the goals, principles and structure of the technical regulation system, regulate the procedure for the development, coordination and approval of regulatory documents, as well as the requirements for their design and application.

The main emphasis in the future new structure of regulatory documents is placed on ensuring the safety and quality of highways at all phases of their life cycle. At the same time, special attention is paid to revision of the objectives of industry-specific regulatory documents and their transfer from the status of recommendations to the status of mandatory (if necessary) and voluntary.

The updating of standards is prompted by substantial changes in the road industry over the past half-century, including a multiple growth of the vehicle fleet, increased traffic intensity and loads on transportation networks.

"People want more modern, safer, faster and wider roads. Therefore, it is no longer possible to build them according to the old rules in the 21st century. In addition, global scientific and technological progress has advanced a lot. New materials, technologies and tools, which cannot be ignored, have emerged in the road industry. Without them, it is impossible to make further progress and improve the quality and safety of roads. Therefore, it is now necessary to legalize them by changing the outdated norms,” said Andrei Chzhen, director of the standardization department of KazdorNII.

He added that the norms and requirements set in regulatory documents should correspond to the level of material, technical and human resources available to the state and reflect its current capabilities. For example, Kazakhstan is already ready to introduce the technology “Superpave” from 2025, which has successfully proven itself in more than 120 countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, China and the Russian Federation, proving its effectiveness in creating durable road pavements resistant to different climatic conditions and heavy traffic. In this regard, KazdorNII has developed three new national standards that take into account climatic peculiarities of the country's regions. The data on temperature fluctuations over the last 20 years observed by the Institute's scientists will form the basis for the introduction of “Superpave” and will help in making decisions on the use of modified polymer-bitumen binders that ensure higher road quality.

Experts note that the reform of industry norms has affected the whole world, driven by climate change, increased pressure on transport infrastructure and growing traffic flows. Today, all developed countries are striving for a gradual transition to international standards, which helps to unify approaches and improve the quality of road networks.