Turkmenistan commences construction of high-speed road to Uzbekistan

By  Trend

"Turkmen Autobahn" CJSC has commenced the construction of the 600-kilometer Ashgabat-Turkmenabat high-speed road, Trend reports referring to Turkmen media.

The Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan is the customer and general contractor through "Turkmen Autobahn", the local "Turkmenistan" TV channel reports. The works will be carried out by the local private enterprises "Nusaýýollary" and "Hyzmat merkezi", "Oguz ýoly" and "Altyn nesil".

"The high-speed road will allow for the acceleration and increase of the cargo volume passing through Turkmenistan. Great prospects in this regard are opening up in the field of transport interaction with neighboring Uzbekistan," the "Turkmen Dovlet Habarlary" agency says.

Due to its intersection with the Ashgabat-Turkmenbashi highway, the highway connecting the eastern regions of the country with its center will give direct access to cargo flows to the international seaport in the Caspian Sea and then via maritime roads to the Caucasus, heading to Europe, southern Russia, northern Iran, the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman.

Commissioning is planned on the following dates: December 2020 for the Ashgabat-Tejen section; December 2022 for the Tejen-Mary section ; December 2023 for the Mary-Turkmenabat section.

The project, worth $ 2.3 billion, envisions construction from 2019–2023.

The width of the roadway will be 34.5 meters. The highway will begin at the intersection that will be built on the 24th kilometer of the Ashgabat-Dashoguz highway. Centers for electronic payment, road supervision service points, and recreation platforms will also be set up here.

Four bridges over the rivers, an additional four over the railway, and 22 at the intersections with other roads will be erected along the highway. In addition, a special passage for animals is considered. There will also be 76 underground pedestrian crossings, water collectors, bridges over mudflow channels, and junctions, among others.