The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $110m loan for the construction of Obigarm-Nurobod road in Tajikistan.
The funds will be used for the construction of a 30km section of highway and 30km of secondary roads between Obigarm and Nurobod in the northeast of the country.
The road between Obigarm and Nurobod is a part of Corridors 2, 3, and 5 of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program that connects landlocked and mountainous Tajikistan to Eurasian and global markets.
The road connects the capital city Dushanbe to the northeast region of the country and the Kyrgyz Republic and carries approximately 2,000 vehicles per day.
ADB Central and West Asia transport specialist Kamel Bouhmad said: “The construction of the new two-lane highway between Obigarm and Nurobod will help to improve the country’s connectivity and trade competitiveness.
“In addition, all-weather village access roads will be built that will provide isolated local communities with access to jobs, markets, and social services such as education and health.”
Work on the 75km-long highway has been split into three sections.
The bank along with the OPEC Fund for International Development will provide funding for a 30km-long section from Obigarm to Tagikamar that also includes the construction of two tunnels of a total length of 3.3km, which is expected to cost around $178m.
For the remaining sections of the 75km highway, the government has applied for loan financing from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Furthermore, the highway will replace the existing road that will cease operation to make way for a hydroelectric dam, which is currently under construction.
ADB said that the construction of the highway will be completed before the existing road is decommissioned as it is the only alternative route that would entail a deviation of about 320km.
It also said that the new highway will be climate-resilient and built to international road safety standards.