Uzbekistan expands Central Asian highway to link China and Europe

Uzbekistan is expanding a major highway in Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic in northwestern Uzbekistan, to improve freight transport along a trade corridor connecting China with western markets.

Workers are currently widening a 25-kilometre section of the A380 road between the cities of Nukus and Urgench from two to four lanes. This project is nearly 90% finished and should reach completion by the end of 2026.

Transport operators report that previous upgrades to a 240-kilometre stretch of the same highway near the Kazakhstan border have already reduced journey times and vehicle maintenance costs. Damir Mamutov, general manager of Promizvest Servis, says trucks previously took 10 to 12 hours to travel between Kungrad and Beyneu due to poor road conditions, but can now complete the trip in three to four hours.

The reconstruction also includes dedicated U-turn overpasses to allow vehicles to change direction without entering opposing traffic lanes. The Asian Development Bank and the Uzbek government are funding the broader road improvement programme with a budget of $383.4mn. This initiative is part of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation programme, which aims to strengthen economic ties across 11 countries.

While the new roads increase capacity, officials say they are also working to modernise border crossings by digitising procedures and introducing electronic queuing systems to reduce customs delays.