Uzbekistan’s government has announced plans to fully asphalt all roads in villages and settlements by the year 2030, according to Transport Minister Ilhom Mahkamov, who spoke at a recent session of the country’s Legislative Chamber (Oliy Majlis), Podrobno.uz reports.

The ambitious infrastructure project will be carried out in two phases. Currently, about 70% of rural roads are already paved with asphalt or gravel.  The remaining 30% will first be reinforced with gravel over the next two years and later surfaced with asphalt, the minister explained.

“By 2030, there will not be a single mahalla (neighborhood) that cannot be reached by asphalt road.  This is a joint effort with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and implementation has already begun,” said Mahkamov.

Concerns over local capacity

The announcement came in response to questions from Anvarkhon Temirov, a representative of the People’s Democratic Party in the Oliy Majlis, who raised concerns about the deteriorating condition of rural roads—particularly during the autumn and winter seasons, when citizen complaints spike.

Temirov also questioned whether local hokimiyats (administrations), which have been assigned responsibility for internal road maintenance, possess the necessary resources and capacity to maintain the infrastructure adequately.

International funding for roadwork

Mahkamov stressed that enhancing rural infrastructure is a government priority and will be pursued systematically under the national development program.

In early July, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) announced its readiness to allocate US$173 million toward the reconstruction of rural roads in Karakalpakstan and Khorezm Region, further supporting Uzbekistan's nationwide infrastructure goals.