Chinese firm wins $2.18 billion tender to build Tashkent–Samarkand toll road

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on transport infrastructure development on 26 May, stressing the need for a modern approach to the project, faster design work, and the involvement of an international consulting firm to provide technical supervision, quality control, and expert review of design decisions.

The new motorway will stretch 282 kilometers and cut travel time between Tashkent and Samarkand to around 2.5 hours. The minister noted that the existing road already carries more traffic than it was built to handle, and that the new route will not only ease congestion but allow drivers to reach their destination two to two-and-a-half times faster.

The total cost of the project is estimated at approximately $2.185 billion, according to Alisher Mirsaatov, Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of Uzbekistan (NBU). Construction will proceed in four phases, and the NBU has been tasked with providing financing if needed.

The bulk of the funding – 85%, or $1.857 billion – is to come from foreign loans, while the remaining 15% ($328 million) will be covered by the Uzbek state budget. Several Chinese financial institutions are being lined up as lenders, including the China Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of China, and Bank of Communications. Bridge financing is also under discussion: a one-year bridge loan of $200 million may be secured to keep construction moving without interruption.

Mirziyoyev underlined the road's strategic importance to the economy and instructed officials to accelerate the start of construction works.