The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is contributing to the development of trade and transport routes in Tajikistan by helping to finance the upgrading and expansion of the road from Danghara to Guliston, says press release issued by the EBRD Dushanbe Resident Office.

Built in the 1930s as part of a major international highway, this road is an important link between the north and south of the Khatlon province – an area which generates more than 53 percent of Tajikistan’s agricultural output and is home to 35 percent of the country’s population.

The EBRD’s sovereign loan of up to €38 million will help to finance upgrades to a 49-kilometer section of the road and the construction of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will contribute grant financing of up to US$ 86.7 million (€83.5 million) to the project.

This project will turn the current single-carriageway category II road into a dual-carriageway category I road, significantly increasing the road’s capacity and shortening delivery times for cargo across the Khatlon province and beyond, thereby stimulating trade.  The newly upgraded road will also have special features such as improved lighting, cycle paths and pavements for pedestrians (which are particularly helpful for parents with children and people with disabilities).

This will be one of the first roads in Tajikistan with charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, stimulating growth in the use of such vehicles and the construction of corresponding infrastructure.

The EBRD will also provide a technical cooperation grant to support the development of a national electric mobility action plan that will simulate public and private investment in sustainable electric mobility across the country.

To date, the EBRD has invested more than €1 billion in Tajikistan through 183 projects.