Major Silk Road Highway Up For Upgrade In Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (AHN) - The Asian Development Bank will provide Uzbekistan $75.3 million loan to upgrade a key highway across Central Asia.

The funding comes a month after eight countries in the region agreed to an $18 billion strategy to improve roads, airports, railways and ports to make Central Asia a vital transit route for trade between Europe and Asia - a modern-day equivalent of the ancient Silk Road.

In addition to Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, People's Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, and Tajikistan have agreed to the strategy.

The new loan will be used to upgrade two sections of the A-380 highway, a 1,204 kilometer road that runs from the Kazakh border in Uzbekistan's north toward Afghanistan and Turkmenistan in the south.

"Upgrading the road will cut travel times and reduce transport costs," said Olly Norojono, a Transport Economist with ADB.

The first road section to be reconstructed is 40 kilometers long in Kungrad District of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. The second is 91 kilometers long in the Khazarsp District of Khorezm Province and Tortkul District of the Republic of Karakalpakstan.