$1 billion toll road project between Samarkand and Bukhara set to start by 2027

The construction of the Tashkent — Samarkand toll road is scheduled to begin this year.

Photo: Gail Delaughter / Houston Public Media

As it was previously reported, on August 30, Shavkat Mirziyoyev approved measures for the development of public-private partnerships (PPP) by 2030. By the end of 2027, electrical grids and gas pipelines will be handed over to management under PPP agreements.

According to the PPP development program, a toll road between Samarkand and Bukhara is planned for $1 billion. The project is expected to commence in 2027, with the signing of the PPP agreement scheduled for 2030.

The responsible agencies are the Ministry of Transport, the Committee for Highways, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, as well as the administrations of the Samarkand and Bukhara regions.

Another project involves the construction of a toll tunnel at the Takhtakarcha Pass, with a cost of $100 million.

Before the end of this year, agencies are tasked with negotiating with potential strategic partners. By August 2025, they are to approve the project concept, by February 2026 — select a private partner, and by December 2026 — sign the PPP agreement.

In 2024, the construction of the Tashkent — Samarkand toll road will begin. At the end of September, a feasibility study for high-speed roads from Tashkent to Samarkand and Andijan will be prepared.

By the end of the year, a tender is expected to be announced, the best proposal selected, and the PPP agreement signed. The toll road from Tashkent to Samarkand is estimated to cost $2.2 billion.

With the support of the World Bank, a toll road from Tashkent to Andijan, spanning 303 km, will be built. In October, the project concept is planned to be approved, with the tender conducted in 2025 and the agreement signed in 2026. The preliminary cost is $4.28 billion.

Additionally, three more PPP projects in the transport sector are planned: the construction of a new ring road in Chirchik (to connect roads 4P5 and 4K755A), the reconstruction of the A378-Karshi road section from Samarkand to Karshi, and the construction of 260 km of roads in Karakalpakstan.

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