Construction of the Tashkent–Samarkand toll highway is scheduled to begin this July. Minister of Transport Ilkhom Makhkamov announced the timeline following the government meeting with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev regarding large-scale infrastructure projects.
According to the minister, these initiatives represent two "monumental, historic" milestones: the construction of a new toll road connecting Tashkent and Samarkand, and the building of a brand-new Tashkent international airport.
"We have completed the organizational and final preparatory stages, selected the construction consortia, and confirmed our readiness to break ground in July of this year," the minister stated, adding that the formal signing of the EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) contract is expected in June.
Ilkhom Makhkamov noted that the President explicitly instructed the ministry to retain an international firm to oversee project execution.
"Our esteemed president gave specific directives regarding this highway—given that it is a historic, long-distance artery—to bring in a multinational firm for oversight. This company will manage technical supervision and quality control throughout construction. It is also slated to conduct a comprehensive peer review of the engineering solutions during the ongoing design phase," he declared.
The minister detailed that the Tashkent–Samarkand toll road will stretch 282 kilometers, including a 108-kilometer segment passing through the Jizzakh province and a 47-kilometer stretch traversing the Samarkand province. He emphasized that the existing highway connecting the two major hubs is currently operating well beyond its designed traffic capacity.
"This new project will eliminate traffic congestion and give people the opportunity to reach Samarkand or their final destination two to two and a half times faster," said Ilkhom Makhkamov.
He also announced that the primary construction contractor for the project has already been selected.
"We conducted an extensive tendering process, and based on the selection results, a Chinese corporation has been chosen. We are currently holding talks with them to finalize the contracts and begin construction operations," the Minister of Transport noted, though he did not yet disclose the name of the winning bidder.
Alisher Mirsoatov, Chairman of the National Bank of Uzbekistan (NBU), revealed that the total cost of the megaproject stands at $2.185 billion.
According to him, the project is scheduled to be rolled out across four distinct phases. Furthermore, the President explicitly instructed the National Bank "to ensure the project is fully backed with necessary funding as required."
"Several Chinese financial institutions will be mobilized to finance the project. These include the China Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of China, and the Bank of Communications," the head of the NBU stated.
He added that the bank has been tasked with coordinating with these international financial institutions to integrate them into the financing structure.
"During the briefings, we received additional directives to accelerate and intensify construction timelines, as well as to allocate bridge financing. It was emphasized that this project holds vital significance for our national economy, and we were given explicit instructions to fast-track it," Alisher Mirsoatov declared.
According to the presentation delivered by the Minister of Transport, a $200 million bridge loan with a one-year maturity period may be secured to ensure uninterrupted construction operations on the project site.
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