DUSHANBE, October 2, 2008, Asia-Plus — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has completed its first project for rehabilitation of roads in Tajikistan – Dushanbe-Qurghon Teppa-Danghara-Kulob Road Rehabilitation Project.
According to the ADB Dushanbe Office, the project paved 103.9 kilometers of main roads and 90.7 kilometers of rural roads.
The project links Dushanbe to Khatlon”s large cities of Qurghon Teppa and Kulob as well as to neighboring countries. This highway, built during the Soviet era and running through the country’s main wheat and cotton producing areas, was devastated by civil war and had not been restored for more than 20 years.
The main objective of the project was to increase income levels and reduce poverty in the Khatlon province through reducing transportation expenses, providing transport communication in any weather improving access of poor population of rural areas to schools, hospitals and markets, as well as strengthening institutional potentials of the country in maintaining roads.
The road rehabilitation project eases the lives of schoolchildren and changes the pace of life in Khatlon
“As a whole, the project is successful,” Ruslan Sodiqov, specialists in infrastructure, ADB Dushanbe Office, said, noting that the ADB had provided a loan of $20.98 million for implementation of the project, OPEC Fund provided $3.9 million in loan and Tajikistan’s contribution to the project amounted to $2.6 million.
The executing agency was the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) of Tajikistan.
Commenting on significance of road sector, Mr. Makoto Ojiro, Country Director, Tajikistan Resident Mission Asian Development Bank, noted that roads are the main component of transport sector in Tajikistan and the ADB is actively involved in this sphere; ADB’s transport project portfolio exceeds $130 million.
