The work on rehabilitation of a highway connecting Dushanbe and Bokhtar, the capital of the Khatlon province, has been suspended as Chinese specialists cannot yet arrive in Tajikistan due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Minister of Transport Khudoyor Khudoyorzoda told reporters in Dushanbe on July 15.
According to him, the pandemic has made changes to the terms of implementation of many investment projects.
“As far as the rehabilitation of the Dushanbe-Bokhtar highway is concerned, the first phase of this project should have been completed in October this year, but it will have to be postponed to a later date,” the minister said.
He further noted that 45 Chinese specialists could not yet arrive in Tajikistan due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Construction works are currently being carried out by local builders. We are conducting negotiations expedite the arrival of Chinese specialists, and I think that this issue will be resolved in the near future,” Mr. Khudoyorzoda said.
Currently, the first and the second phases of the Dushanbe-Bokhtar highway rehabilitation project are under way.
The first phase was launched in October 2017 and it should have been finished in October 2020.
The first phase includes rehabilitation of a 33-kilometer road section from Dushanbe to the Dari Kiik area in Khatlon’s Khuroson district. 96.3 million USD has been allocated for rehabilitation of this section of the road.
The second phase of the project, which includes rehabilitation of a 40-kilometer road section from the Chashmasoron area in the Khuroson district to the city of Bokhtar, started in the second half of 2018.
The improvement of the 40-kilometer road section from Chashmasoron to Bokhtar reportedly includes road expansion from two to four lanes, construction of new pavements and structures, and provision of well-designed facilities to address existing road safety deficiencies. The budget for implementation of the second phase amounts to 107.5 million USD.
The rehabilitation of the Dushanbe-Bokhtar highway was supposed to be completed by 2023.
The improvement of road infrastructure is crucial for Tajikistan to overcome communication deadlock and turn itself into a transit hub.
