The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has granted Uzbekistan a sovereign loan of up to $238 million for the reconstruction of the 4P156 highway, following the route Urgench — Khonqa — Hazorasp — Toshsoqa — Amudaryo — A380 highway, as reported by the press service of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
The agreement was signed during the Tashkent International Investment Forum.
It is expected to reconstruct about 81 kilometers of the road and construct a bridge over the Amudaryo river in the Khorezm region.
“This strategically important road is part of a transportation network that links the region’s administrative center, Urgench, with the A380 road to Kazakhstan and forms the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Corridor 2,” the EBRD’s press release mentioned.
Once complete, the current single-carriageway category-II road will be transformed into a dual-carriageway category-I road. The bank’s funds will also help upgrade supporting infrastructure along the 4R156 road.
“The project will significantly improve the new road’s throughput capacity and thus stimulate trade and tourism in the Khorezm region,” the EBRD emphasized.
EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso, currently visiting Uzbekistan, said: “We are supporting this project because it meets our strategic objectives for Uzbekistan and Central Asia. It is also part of the global transport and logistics infrastructure solutions covered by the European Union’s (EU) Global Gateway initiative.”
In January 2024, at the Investors Forum for EU-Central Asia Transport Connectivity in Brussels, the EBRD expressed its readiness to invest around €1.5 billion in Trans-Caspian Corridor-related infrastructure and associated transport solutions over the next two to three years.
