DUSHANBE, November 8, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Rehabilitation of a vital road linking Dushanbe with the Uzbekistan border via Hisor Valley and the town of Tursunzoda began on November 7.  The ceremony was attended by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and the Asia-Development bank Vice-President Xiaoyu Zhao.

Rahmon and Xiaoyu also held bilateral talks yesterday.  State and prospects of further expansion of cooperation between Tajikistan and the Asian Development Bank were a major topic of the talks.  The sides also exchanged views on the ADB Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Tajikistan designed for 2012-2014.

We will recall that the ADB is providing a $120 million grant to help Tajikistan upgrade the road linking the capital Dushanbe with the Uzbekistan border.  A grant agreement was inked in Dushanbe on January 20.

The road is part of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Corridor 3 that spans almost 7,000 km from the Russian Federation in the north to the Persian Gulf in the south.

The 62-kilometer highway passes through the Hisor Valley and the town of Tursunzoda - two major economic areas in Tajikistan.  Hisor Valley has the largest agricultural output in the country, producing cotton, grain, fruits, and vegetables. Tursunzoda is home to Central Asia''s largest aluminum processing plant as well as light industry.

According to press release issued by the ADB on January 20, the grant will finance road upgrading and improvements to drainage structures and bridges.

The grant will also improve facilities at the Dusti border, which handles about 50,000 vehicles per year, or a quarter of Tajikistan''s cross-border vehicles and freight. The project will include connecting the border point to a dependable power source, building modern customs buildings, and installing new information technology, all of which will help increase trade and cut waiting time at the border.

The grant will be sourced from the Asian Development Fund and the project is expected t be finished until January 30, 2015.

The section of the road from Dushanbe to Tursunzoda will be upgraded into four-lane highway, 25 meters in width, while the section of road from Tursunzoda to Uzbekistan border will be a two-lane highway, 15 meters in width.