OREANDA-NEWS. August 04, 2009. Construction of the unique engineering structure in Turkmenistan – the railway bridge across the impetuous Amu Darya River is under completion. The 1,414-metre bridge that will connect Atamurat and Kerkichi has no analogues in the region, reported the Official website turkmenistan.gov.tm.

The project amounted to US123 million is implemented by the specialist and builders of Ukrtransstroy State Corporation in collaboration with Turkmen colleagues from the subdivisions of the Ministry of Railway Transport of Turkmenistan.

The construction project faced serious difficulties. A year and a half the partners ha found themselves in the deadlock. The problems were solved only due to the interference, direct assistance and support of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The Turkmen leader visited the construction site and talked to the Ukrainian contractors to find out the reasons for delay in construction. After a series of the consultations and talks with the leadership of Ukraine the decision, which eliminated the obstacles to construction, were taken. Since then a large amount of works have been performed there.

By early August the builder completed construction of 12 of 14 bridge spans. At present they are engaged in constructing the last bridge abutment and erecting structural steel between two spans. By the end of this months construction of these two spans will have been built. In the first half of September construction of this engineering structure will be completed.

The project on the railway bridge across the Amu Darya River was designed by Dneprogiprotrans Institute at the request of Turkmenistan. The project complies with the necessary parameters including seismic stability requirements. The engineering structure made from reinforced concrete and steel structures is capable to carry the heavy load of heavy freight trains and the 8-point tremors. Its steel structures are based on the strong footings, which are based on the abutments made from special reinforcement and concrete resistant to chemical and physical corrosion. To prevent the abutments from deterioration they are ‘dressed’ in glass polyester pipes. The bridge has 12 spans 110 metres each and two initial spans on the banks 33.6 metres each. The technical and operating parameters of the new supermodern transport corridor comply with the international standards.

In a few months the first trains will run along the new bridge. This event will be written in golden letters in the history of independent neutral Turkmenistan as another victory of the Turkmen people on the path towards the great goals of the epoch of New Revival. It is difficult to overestimate the significance of this transport nodal point of strategic importance for further social and economic development Lebap Velayat as well as the country. The bridge will connect the railways on the right bank of the Amu Darya River to the national railway network. All of these open up the vast opportunities to implement the large-scale programmes on exploration and development of abundant recourses of the right bank of the Amu Darya River where the deposits of over 30 kinds of natural resources and minerals were discovered.

Development of these treasures has been launched. This June the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the ore-dressing plant producing potassium fertilizers with the capacity of 1.4 million tons took place in Garlyk locality with the participation of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The cement works and industrial facilities, which will use countless riches, will be built there in future that create powerful incentives to enhance the economic strength of the country and improve the people’s welfare. Thousands of new jobs will be created and turn the tracts of virgin lands will turn into the blooming oases. This grandiose engineering structure across the Amu Darya River will play an important role in implementing the huge transit potential of Turkmenistan – the country that lies on the routes from north to south and west to east.