The direct work on implementation of the Dushanbe-Qurghon Teppa road rehabilitation project will start in June.
“This 90-kilometer highway is one of the most heavily traveled roads in the country because it has not been rehabilitated for more than 30 years, with the exception of a partial recovery work carried out in the early 2000s,” the Deputy Minister of Transport Suhrob Mirzoyev declared.
The first phase of the project provides for rehabilitation of more than 33 kilometers of road from Dushanbe to the Dari Kiik area, not far from the administrative center of Khuroson district in Khatlon province.
$96 million have reportedly been allocated for the first phase of the Dushanbe-Qurghon Teppa road rehabilitation project.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has allocated $65.2 million in preferential loan ($49.4 million) and grant (some $15.8 million) for improvement of the road connectivity between Dushanbe and Qurghon Teppa, two major cities and economic hubs in the country.
Besides, the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has allocated $12 million for implementation of the project and the remaining $17 million have been provided by the Tajik government.
According to Mirzoyev, $96 million are more than enough for implementation of the first phase of the project.
“A part of this amount may even be used for implementation of the second phase of the project, which provides for improvement of the road from Dari Kiik to Qurghon Teppa,” Mirzoyev added.
The estimated budget for improvement of the 90-kilometer road from Dushanbe to Qurghon Teppa is some $215 million.
The project is expected to directly benefit residents in Dushanbe and the southern Khatlon province by improving access to jobs, markets, and public services. It is also expected to help develop the economic corridor between Dushanbe and Afghanistan.
The road is a strategic north-south link, one of the most heavily traveled roads in the country, and is part of Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) corridors 2, 5, and 6.
The project is expected to enhance the road by expanding its width from two to four lanes, improving its surface condition, and providing well-designed safety facilities. (News.tj/Business World Magazine)
