Tashkent-Andijan route becomes faster with new highway

With the commissioning of the Tashkent-Andijan expressway, travel time between Tashkent and Andijan will be reduced from five to three hours. This was highlighted in a report on major transport infrastructure projects, which President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed on February 3.

It was noted that Uzbekistan's transport network is being consistently developed to meet the population's and economy's growing demands. A resolution issued by the President on October 10, 2023, has expanded road construction, repair, and maintenance efforts, leading to improvements in the sector.

As part of this initiative, an alternative Tashkent-Andijan road was designed with the involvement of the World Bank. The new 314-kilometer expressway aims to reduce travel time, boost GDP by 2.6%, and lower road accident rates by 40%.

An international tender for the project was recently announced, attracting interest from leading foreign companies. The meeting also reviewed proposals for the project. Additionally, the Ministry of Transport was instructed to develop alternative highways on roads with heavy traffic, enhance road safety, and introduce paid services to improve infrastructure.

"The President was also briefed on a separate project to establish a “dry port” in the Navoi region in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates-based AD Ports Group," the report states.

Earlier, it was announced that Uzbekistan would implement projects to build toll roads on the Tashkent-Samarkand and Tashkent-Andijan routes, along with the construction of new high-speed railway lines on the Tashkent-Samarkand and Samarkand-Navoi-Bukhara routes.