Construction of toll road between Tashkent and Samarkand starts

Construction has commenced on a major new toll road in Uzbekistan, a $2.2 billion project designed to significantly enhance connectivity between the capital, Tashkent, and the historic city of Samarkand. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, speaking at a ceremony in the Tashkent region on July 22, stated that the new highway is expected to reduce travel time between the two cities by half, from the current 5 hours to just 2.5 hours.

The ambitious project involves building a 282-kilometer, six-lane highway featuring 92 bridges, 28 overpasses, and 60 tunnel-type crossings. Designed for heavy and high-speed traffic, the road will have a monolithic concrete surface, allowing vehicles to reach speeds of up to 150 km/h on flat sections. Modern safety systems and digital solutions will be integrated to minimize accidents. The highway is projected to handle between 60,000 and 80,000 vehicles daily and is scheduled for completion by 2030.

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a truly new era

President Mirziyoyev hailed the highway's construction as a "major historic step" in developing Uzbekistan's transport infrastructure, heralding "a truly new era" for the road sector. He emphasized the project's economic benefits, citing World Bank analysis that suggests every dollar invested in such infrastructure can yield up to five dollars in economic returns. The gross regional product in the Tashkent, Syrdarya, Jizzakh, and Samarkand regions is forecast to grow by 3%.

The development is expected to spur significant economic activity along its route, creating thousands of jobs and new income streams in 13 districts with over 2 million residents. Plans include the development of logistics centers, warehouses, industrial and agro-industrial enterprises, retail and service facilities, hotels, and tourist complexes. The project will also prioritize local services and construction materials, fostering new production facilities and providing substantial orders for local entrepreneurs. Additionally, construction has begun on the Khiva-Urgench road, and tenders are nearing completion for the Tashkent-Andijan highway, with designs for the Tashkent-Bostanlyk road in the final stages. China Overseas Engineering Construction (COVEC) has been selected as the contractor for the Tashkent-Samarkand highway.

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Today we are laying another solid foundation for the country’s future, its economic sustainability and the well-being of its people.