Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Feb.15 / Trend D. Azizov /
Republican Road Fund under the Uzbek Ministry of Finance announced an international tender for the reconstruction of the highway "Guzar-Bukhara-Nukus-Beyneu" (A-380) with starting cost of $180 million in the Bukhara region, the country's national press reported.
The tender has been announced for the reconstruction of 85-kilometer section of the highway with replacement of two-lane asphalt surface to four-lane cement concrete pavement. Construction period is 2 years.
According to the contest terms, the bids are accepted until March 29, 2011. The tender will be summed up in May.
The reconstruction will be funded at the expense of a loan of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
In April 2010, the ADB issued loan for US$600 million within the ADB's Multitranche Financing Facility, which was allocated to the reconstruction of 222 km of national highway in 2010-2012.
The funds will be directed to reconstruct over 220 kilometers of the A380 highway, and to provide training support for improved planning, project management, road asset management, and community facilities.The A380 highway forms part of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program (CAREC) and one of its corridors - Corridor 2. This connects Uzbekistan to Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
In May 2010 ADB allocated the first tranche worth $ 115 million to Uzbekistan. Loan funds were allocated from the ordinary resources of the bank.
Loan agreement for the second tranche will be signed in May this year.
GP Papenburg Baugesellschaft mbH (Germany) signed a contract for $86 million with the Uzbek Government to reconstruct 50-km section of A-380 highway in Uzbekistan in October 2010.
In May 2009, President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov approved a programme on construction of national roads of the first category in 2009-2014. The programme cost is $2.6 billion. Within the programme, it is planned to construct four areas of roads on route Beinau-Kungrad-Bukhara-Samarkand-Tashkent-Andijan, Bukhara-Alat, Bukhara-Karshi-Guzar-Termez and Samarkand-Guzar with total extension of 1,501 km.
Within the programme, it is planned to construct 400 km four line cement-concrete roads and 813 km four line asphalt roads, as well as 288 km two-line asphalt roads. The programme envisages construction of 7 transport road junctions and 1,488 km bridges and underpasses.
The project will be financed due to resources of the Uzbek Government for $1.68 billion and the credit of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), credit line of China to the SCO member states and other international financial institutes.