DUSHANBE, January 30, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- Work on upgrading a vital road linking Dushanbe with the Uzbekistan border via Hisor Valley and the town of Tursunzoda will start when weather permits, the source at the road rehabilitation project management unit within the Ministry of Transport (MoT) told Asia-Plus Monday afternoon.

According to him, the project to upgrade the Dushanbe-Tursunzoda-Uzbekistan border highway consists of two parts.  “The first part includes rehabilitation of a 4.6-kilometer road from the Abu Ali Sino monument in Dushanbe to the western gate of the Tajik capital city, and the second one includes rehabilitation of a 56.9-kilometer highway from Dushanbe’s western gate to the Pakhtaobod settlement on the Uzbek border,” the source said.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has reportedly provided a US$120 million grant for implementation of the second part of the project.  According to the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Tajik government’s contribution to the project is 34.3 million U.S. dollars.  Besides, a US$27 million loan is provided by the European bank for reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

China Road and Bridge Corporation was granted the contract to upgrade the highway.

We will recall that an official ceremony of rehabilitation of Dushanbe-Tursunzoda-Pakhtaobod highway took place on November 7, 2011.  The ceremony was attended by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and the Asia-Development bank Vice-President Xiaoyu Zhao.

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.

The grant awarded by the Asian Development Bank finances 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 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.