BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 5. Uzbekistan is considering building a new high-capacity bridge at the Olot border checkpoint on its border with Turkmenistan and revising cargo transportation procedures to increase border throughput, following a meeting on November 4.
According to Uzbekistan's Ministry of Transport, the proposals were discussed during a visit to the Olot checkpoint by Chairman of Uzbekistan's Customs Committee Akmalkhuja Mavlonov, Transport Minister Ilkhom Makhkamov, Chairman of the Committee for Roads Jamshid Tursunov and Chairman of the Board of Uzsuvtaminot Akhmad Suvonkulov.
The officials reviewed the checkpoint's operations and infrastructure, focusing on improving its capacity, ensuring uninterrupted cross-border vehicle movement, simplifying freight transportation procedures and upgrading logistics facilities.
More than 243,000 vehicles passed through the checkpoint in the first 10 months of 2026, representing a 2.3-fold increase compared with the same period in 2022. Currently, the crossing handles up to 1,200 vehicles per day in both directions.
The growing traffic has increased the need to modernize the checkpoint's infrastructure, revise existing operational procedures and improve traffic management.
One of the proposals involves abandoning the vehicle-trailer exchange mechanism introduced by the neighboring side during the COVID-19 pandemic and returning to the traditional international freight transportation system. The proposed change is expected to reduce additional border control procedures and speed up vehicle movement.
Another initiative concerns replacing the bridge over the Yomonjar Canal, which connects the neutral zones of the two countries. Built in 1978, the existing bridge is considered technically outdated.
The proposed new bridge would have at least two lanes for trucks in each direction. It is expected to accelerate freight transportation, reduce congestion in the border area and improve access for pedestrians and passenger vehicles.
Relevant government agencies will conduct comprehensive assessments of the proposals and prepare feasibility studies. The resulting recommendations are expected to be submitted for consideration at the government level.
