Road linking Uzbekistan with Afghanistan and Tajikistan to undergo major repairs

A 178-kilometer highway connecting Uzbekistan with Afghanistan and Tajikistan will undergo major reconstruction, it was announced on February 27 during a meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the comprehensive development of the Surkhandarya region.

It was noted at the meeting that one of the most pressing issues in Surkhandarya is road and transport infrastructure.

Two years ago, a $183 million project was launched in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank to convert a 111-kilometer section of the road linking Boysun and Denov to cement-concrete pavement. Once completed, the road is expected to double cargo capacity and reduce travel time from three hours to one and a half hours.

The 178-kilometer highway connecting Uzbekistan with Afghanistan and Tajikistan has not undergone major repairs for 30 years. Officials have been instructed to begin construction work within three months.

Passenger trains operating on the Tashkent–Termez route currently take more than 14 hours. An agreement has been reached with South Korean partners to procure modern high-speed trains. Authorities were instructed to begin this year a project to adapt the Toshguzor–Boysun–Qumqorgon section for high-speed rail service and to start electrification work on the 103-kilometer Qumqorgon–Quduqli railway line.

Earlier, the same meeting confirmed the launch of new flights on the Termez–Istanbul and Termez–Dubai routes.