DUSHANBE, July 20, 2011, Asia-Plus — Rehabilitation of road linking Dushanbe with Uzbek border via Tursunzoda will begin in the near future, the source at the unit for implementation of the road rehabilitation projects told Asia-Plus Wednesday afternoon.
According to him, to launch the project they had to demolish some 300 residential buildings along the way. “The problem has been resolved and householders have been relocated to other places,” the source said, noting that a total cost of the project is some US$186 million, 120 million U.S. dollars provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Tajik Government’s contribution of 39 million U.S. dollars and 27 million U.S. dollars provided by the European bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
The source found difficulty in answering the question whether the highway will become a toll road after rehabilitation. “This issue is outside the unit’s competence,” said he. “It is the prerogative of the government.”
We will recall that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced in January that it is providing a $120 million grant to help Tajikistan upgrade a vital road linking the capital Dushanbe with the Uzbekistan border.
The road is part of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Corridor 3 that spans almost 7,000 kilometers 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 will also improve facilities at the Dusti border crossing, 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.
