Uzbekistan plans major highway expansion with expressways and toll roads

The plans were outlined on December 26, when President Shavkat Mirziyoyev delivered his annual address to the Oliy Majlis and the nation. Citing United Nations analysis, the president noted that high-quality road infrastructure can contribute at least 2% to economic growth, underscoring the importance of improving connectivity and transit potential.

Under the program, key national corridors will be upgraded to international expressway standards. These include routes linking Andijan with Kungrad, Tashkent with Termez, Samarkand with Shakhrisabz, and Alat with Sariasia, with a combined length of 4,000 kilometers.

Alongside new construction, the government plans to modernize existing infrastructure. In 2026, reconstruction will be completed on 300 kilometers of public roads passing through Karakalpakstan and the Bukhara, Kashkadarya, and Surkhandarya regions.

Construction is also set to begin on 800 kilometers of high-speed toll roads along several major routes, including Tashkent – Samarkand, Tashkent – Andijan, Tashkent – Bostanlyk, Pungan – Namangan, and Karshi – Shakhrisabz.

Mirziyoyev added that new, stricter legal requirements will be introduced to ensure public input is considered at the design stage, to assess the environmental impact of traffic flows, and to create a barrier-free environment for pedestrians as part of future road projects.