Tajikistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a grant agreement for US$86.6 million, says the press center of the Ministry of Finance (MoF).

This document was inked in Dushanbe on November 1 by Mr. Fayziddin Qahhorzoda, Finance Minister of Tajikistan and Ms. Rhodora Concepcion, Representative of the ADB.    

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The amount of this grant is allocated for financing the project aimed at upgrading the existing degraded two lane 49-kilometer Danghara–Guliston road in Khatlon province.  

The ADB Tajikistan Resident Mission (TJRM) noted in late October that the project is the first to pilot the innovative methods promoted in the ADB green roads toolkit.

Applying the green roads toolkit to the road design improves the quality of life for those living in the vicinity of the road; strengthens road network climate resilience and disaster preparedness; reduces pollution; and conserves biodiversity.  

To enhance safety, the newly reconstructed road will include dedicated cycleways and sidewalks for women with children and people with disabilities. It will also have improved lighting, as well as safe and well-marked crossings—with the design and location of safety features determined through a community co-design process.  Special toilets and changing facilities will be provided for travelling mothers and babies, while public transport facilities will include preferential seating for people with disabilities.

A green road corridor is a network of land that connects natural areas, such as parks, forests, and nature reserves, which have been separated by human development.  Green corridors can be natural, semi-natural, or artificial, and are also known as ecological corridors or biodiversity corridors.