Baku, Azerbaijan, March 28
By Fikret Dolukhanov – Trend:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will grant Tajikistan a $90 million grant for additional funding for the rehabilitation of 40 kilometer of the road linking the capital Dushanbe and Bokhtar (Kurgan-Tube) city, Tajik media reported on March 28.
According to the information, the grant from the Asian Development Fund of ADB was provided in the framework of the project on improving the corridors of Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) 2, 5 and 6, approved in October 2016.
"Road transport plays an important role in Tajikistan's economic development, investment development, job creation and poverty reduction in the country. Additional financing will help not only to create economic corridors through the development of transport, but will also strengthen the country's capacity to maintain infrastructure," transport specialist in ADB's Central and West Asia Department Kamel Bukhmad said.
The Dushanbe-Bokhtar (Kurgan-Tube) road, which serves about 10,000 cars a day, is a part of the strategic link between the north and the south, one of the busiest roads in the country and part of the corridors 2, 5 and 6 of the CAREC program.
The improvement of the 40 km stretch from Chashmasoron to Bokhtar includes the extension of the road from two to four lanes, laying a new road surface and installation of modern road safety equipment.
Additional financing will also support Tajik Transport Ministry's program on improving the road safety of the national road network, which includes improving existing tunnels, intersections, hazardous locations and damaged road surface areas.
So far, ADB has approved a total of about $1.6 billion assistance for Tajikistan in the form of soft loans, grants and technical assistance. The ADB's partnership with Tajikistan, which began in 1998, helped to restore and build new transport and energy infrastructure in the country, helped in social development, expanded agricultural production and supported the development of regional cooperation and trade.
It was earlier reported that ADB in 2018 plans to provide Tajikistan with about $160 million for a number of projects, including reducing risks from natural disasters.