The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has awarded a $110m grant to Tajikistan for the construction of a 30km-highway section and 30km of secondary roads from Obigarm to Nurobod in the country’s northeast.

The road from Obigarm to Nurobod is part of Corridors 2, 3 and 5 of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program that connects Tajikistan to the global markets.

It links Dushanbe, the country’s capital, to Tajikistan’s northeast and the Kyrgyz Republic. The Obigarm-Nurobod road serves nearly 2,000 vehicles on a daily basis.

The 75km highway will be built in three sections. ADP and the OPEC Fund for International Development will jointly provide $178m to fund the 30km section from Obigarm to Tagikamar. The stretch includes two tunnels of 3.3km combined length.

In addition, the Tajikistan Government applied for a loan from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to build the remaining parts of the highway.

Following the construction of the new highway, the previous road will be decommissioned and eventually replaced with a hydroelectric dam that is under construction.

The new highway will comply with international road safety standards and is expected to be climate-resilient.

Kamel Bouhmad ADB Central and West Asia transport specialist said: “The construction of the new two-lane highway between Obigarm and Nurobod will help to improve the country’s connectivity and trade competitiveness.

“In addition, all-weather village access roads will be built that will provide isolated local communities with access to jobs, markets and social services such as education and health.”

Last year, ADB agreed to support the rehabilitation of a 40km section of the Dushanbe-Kurgonteppa road in Tajikistan, with a $90m grant.