ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE TO SCALE UP SIGNIFICANTLY

The construction and reconstruction of 1,700 kilometers of public roads, overhaul and repair of over 10,400 km of inter-farm rural roads is scheduled for the next five years in Uzbekistan.

At present, the total length of domestic roads exceeds 184,000 km, small and large highways cover even the most remote and inaccessible areas. They have become an indelible part of our everyday life, making an enormous influence on the development of freight traffic, which has doubled in volumes in the last 15 years. The advantageous geographical location of Uzbekistan has contributed to the steady growth in the international transit traffic.

In particular, all the roads linking Andijan with Kungrad, and crossing the country from east to north, as well as the roads linking Samarkand with Termez, and connecting the central part of the country with its southern borders, were completely revamped in the framework of the program of measures on the reconstruction and development of the Uzbek national highway for 2009-2015. Now, they are four lane roads, and meet the highest international standards. These measures have reduced the time for transportation from the western to the eastern borders of Uzbekistan by 15-20%, which now makes up just 10-12 hours.

There are currently more than 20 international transport corridors in Uzbekistan, two of which are major international roads connecting the countries of Western Europe with East Asia. Over 23,000 km of the highway are of international and national importance.

The high relevance of the construction of the national highway bоth for Uzbekistan and the entire Central Asia is indicated by the interest of international financial institutions in this program. Asian and Islamic Development Banks, members of the Arab Coordination Group granted $1.4 billion of concessional loans to Uzbekistan for construction and reconstruction of 742 km of roads, procurement of modern road-building equipment, education and staff training in the field of construction and maintenance of modern road facilities.

Meanwhile, a significant part of roads of regional and local importance need to be revamped today. Putting these tasks in force requires radical revision of the organizational structure and activities of the Republican Road Fund under the Ministry of Finance, and Uzavtoyul Company.

It is also projected to work out a set of measures on the radical improvement of roads and related infrastructure using best practices of the leading foreign companies and international financial lending institutions.

Jahon Information Agency