BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 5. Turkmenistan has broken ground on the 550-kilometer Ashgabat–Dashoguz highway, a major infrastructure initiative set to serve as a vital link in the emerging North–South transport corridor, according to the Turkmen government's press service.
President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, who attended the launch ceremony and gave the start to construction works, said the highway would connect the country's northern region with the capital.
"Today, we are launching the construction of the Ashgabat-Dashoguz highway, which is intended to become a key link in the prospective North-South transport corridor," Berdimuhamedov said.
According to him, the project is expected to increase Turkmenistan's transport and transit potential and improve the safety of transport connections. It is also intended to contribute to a significant increase in trade turnover, freight and passenger traffic between neighboring countries.
The highway will stretch for approximately 550 kilometers. Its development will include the construction of supporting infrastructure and the introduction of digital technologies to improve road operations and safety.
"Along the highway, which has a total length of about 550 kilometers, all necessary conditions will be created for passengers and drivers, and modern equipment and monitoring systems operated through digital technology will be installed," the president said.
The project also considers the construction of a new 812-meter automobile bridge along the route. In addition, nine existing bridges will undergo comprehensive modernization.
The planned bridge works and installation of digital monitoring equipment form part of the wider effort to upgrade the highway infrastructure. These measures are intended to improve travel conditions, strengthen road safety and support the reliable operation of the route, the report noted.
The Ashgabat-Dashoguz highway is one of Turkmenistan's key domestic transport arteries, connecting the capital with the country's northern Dashoguz region. The approximately 546-kilometer route crosses the Karakum Desert, which occupies around three-quarters of Turkmenistan's territory and separates the country's central and northern regions. Developing transport infrastructure across this vast desert area is therefore important for maintaining connections between the country's major economic and administrative centers.
The importance of this connection is also reflected in the region's economic profile. Dashoguz region is one of Turkmenistan's major agricultural regions, with settlements and irrigated farming areas concentrated in the northern part of the country, near the lower reaches of the Amu Darya River. The existing 540-kilometer Ashgabat-Karakum-Dashoguz railway already links the northern agricultural region with the country's central industrial areas, illustrating the role of transport infrastructure in connecting these different economic zones.
Dashoguz also has a strategic geographical position due to its proximity to Uzbekistan. The Turkmen velayat borders the country's Khorezm region, located in northwestern Uzbekistan. Khorezm is an important agricultural and historical region, with its administrative center in Urgench and the historic city of Khiva among its main urban centers. The two neighboring regions have an important cross-border economic dimension: in November 2025, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan launched the joint Shavat-Dashoguz border trade zone to facilitate trade between them. According to the Uzbek government, the two regions have a combined population of more than 3.5 million people.
The Shavat-Dashoguz zone includes customs, quarantine, phytosanitary and veterinary facilities, as well as warehouses, a trade pavilion and services operating under a single-window principle. Its establishment is intended to expand trade and economic ties between the neighboring regions. Improved road connectivity between Ashgabat and Dashoguz could therefore strengthen the domestic transport link leading to this cross-border trade area and support the movement of goods and passengers between Turkmenistan's capital, its northern regions and neighboring Uzbekistan.
