The construction of the road connecting Qala-i-Khumb, the administrative center of Darvoz districts in the Gorno-Badakhshan Region (GBAO) to GBAO’s Vanj district, which is a section of the Dushanbe-Khorog-Kulma (China border) highway is progressing with local workers handling most of the tasks, said Tajikistan's Minister of Transport, Azim Ibrohim, during a news conference in Dushanbe on January 28.
He noted that the main works on this section are completed, and only finishing tasks such as concrete pouring, as well as the installation of ventilation and signaling systems inside the tunnels, remain. Local builders are responsible for these tasks.
"We only need Chinese consultants for this, while the physical work is being done by local workers," said Ibrohim, although he did not specify when Chinese workers from China Road and Bridge Corporation, the project's contractor, would return to the site.
The minister emphasized that work continues and assured that the project would be completed within the timeframe agreed upon in the contract.
Security incident delays progress
On November 30, 2025, in the village of Shodak (Shodaki) in GBAO’s Darvoz district, Afghan border violators carried out an armed attack on employees of the Chinese company involved in the construction of the Qala-i-Khumb-Vanj section of the road. The attack resulted in the deaths of two Chinese nationals and injuries to two others. Following the incident, Chinese staff left the project site at the request of the Chinese Embassy in Dushanbe and have yet to return.
According to the Ministry of Transport, the qala-i-Khumb-Vanj section, which crosses the mountainous Darvoz district, is one of the most challenging stretches of road in the country. It had not been repaired for many years.
Expected benefits of the road upgrade
Once the reconstruction and modernization of this road section is complete, including the construction of two tunnels totaling 5.2 kilometers in length, the travel distance will be reduced by 16.7 kilometers. The overall length of the section will decrease from 109 km to 92.3 km, with 53 km passing through the Darvoz region and 39.3 km through Vanj.
The Ministry of Transport emphasized that the primary goal of the project is to improve safety, ensure smooth transportation year-round, and bring the road up to international standards.
