TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 12. The EBRD has allocated a grant of $1.5 million for the development of the Tashkent — Samarkand toll highway construction project, Trend reports.
According to information provided by the regional government of Samarkand, Uzbekistan has already hired the Austrian ILF Consulting Engineers to draft a building plan and the Turkish Proyap to carry it out.
The Tashkent—Samarkand toll road project entails the construction of a 305-kilometer-long six-lane highway. It is also intended to construct new bridges and overpasses over interchanges and structures, as well as to implement an intelligent transportation system.
The track's load capacity will be 13 tons and its service life will be 25 years, both of which are worldwide norms.
According to Uzbekistan's Public-Private Partnership Development Agency, the toll for passenger automobiles traveling from Tashkent to Samarkand and Andijan will be between $5 million and $6 million. Furthermore, the maximum speed restriction is expected to be 150 km/h.
Meanwhile, in 2018, the EBRD adopted its five-year country plan in Uzbekistan, identifying priority areas for the Bank's operations.
According to Andi Aranitasi, the head of the EBRD office in Uzbekistan, these priorities include increasing competitiveness by strengthening the role of the private sector in the economy, as well as promoting green energy and resource solutions across sectors.
Aranitasi said support for increased regional and international cooperation and integration has also been one of the pillars of the Bank's cooperation with Uzbekistan.