The Ministry of Transport (MoT) notes that the current state of most of the regional and rural highways in the country, which have low traffic capacity, does not meet the requirements of the norms being in force in the country.”
“Most part of the road network does not allow ensuring safety of road users in accordance with modern requirements. Due to the unsatisfactory technical condition of many existing roads, the efficiency of transport is at a low level,” says the initial environmental study for the road network sustainability project released on March 9.
The report is reportedly aimed at attracting financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for rehabilitation of the 59.5-kilometer national road section from Hulbuk to Kangurt in the Khatlon province.
The road is currently in a poor state, and because of this, the villages along this road do not have access to educational and medical facilities, government agencies, banks and markets during autumn and winter months.
Therefore, it is obvious that the rehabilitation of this road is urgently needed, say the MoT specialists.
Recall, the ADB in November approved a US$67.49 million grant to enhance the safety and reliability of the national road network in southern Tajikistan and promote the economic participation of women in the area. The project is aimed at rehabilitating two existing national road sections in the Khatlon province: from Danghara to Oqmazor (28.7 km) and from Hulbuk to Kangurt (59.5 km), which currently support traffic volumes of 4,200 vehicles and 1,300 vehicles per day, respectively.
The project will help the Ministry of Transport operationalize a road asset management system by developing a data inventory of the country’s arterial highways and train staff to collect and analyze condition data. The database will enable the government to prepare annual maintenance plans and ensure adequate budget for maintenance.
