DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, October 7. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has supported 12 transport projects in Tajikistan with a total value of $434.4 million, Trend reports via the Ministry of Transport of Tajikistan.
Cooperation between the Ministry of Transport and the ADB began in 2000. With the financial support of the ADB, the first and second phases of the reconstruction project for the international highway "Dushanbe-Bokhtar," totaling over 75 kilometers, were completed and officially opened on October 29, 2021.
The first phase encompassed 33.2 kilometers, upgrading the road from a third-category to a first-category "B" status, with a width ranging from 16 to 25 meters. Approximately $97 million for the project was financed through ADB grants and loans, along with over $17 million from Tajikistan.
In December 2019, ADB approved $110 million in grants for the construction of the "Obigarm-Nurobod" road, a 75-kilometer project initiated in 2021 upon the directive of President Emomali Rahmon.
In November 2020, ADB allocated $67.5 million for the construction of the "Khulbuk-Temurmaliq-Kangurt" and "Bokhtar-Dangara-Guliston" roads.
Additionally, in 2022, ADB approved $43.2 million in grant funding to enhance the safety and reliability of the road network in southern Tajikistan, focusing on the rehabilitation of a 40-kilometer section from Okmazor to Bokhtar in the densely populated Khatlon region.
With $56.6 million in funding from ADB as part of the fourth phase of the "Improving Regional Transport Corridors in Central Asia" program, a project is underway to construct and reconstruct four segments of a highway spanning 51.2 kilometers in the Sughd region.
In 2023, Tajikistan received specialized equipment from ADB for the passportization of roads, enabling precise measurements of road length and roughness essential for creating electronic maps and assessing the quality of repairs and reconstructions.
Furthermore, ADB has expressed readiness to support transport projects in Dushanbe aimed at improving urban infrastructure, including the construction of 10 three-level overpasses, two of which are already operational. This proposed project comprises 10 components with a total cost of $35 million, to be provided as a grant.
Additional ADB financing is expected to bolster the national road network's safety program, potentially involving upgrades to existing tunnels, intersections, hazardous areas, and damaged road sections.
ADB has collaborated with Tajikistan since 1998 and, as of December 31, 2023, has provided the country with 158 loans, grants, and technical assistance in the public sector totaling $2.4 billion.