OREANDA-NEWS. March 30, 2009. Uzbekistan intends to spend USD 2.6 billion for capital repair of the highway linking the country with Kyrgyzstan and China in the east, and Kazakhstan in the north, Uzbek newspaper Tashkentskaya Pravda reported.

A source in the state joint-stock company Uzavtoyol [Uzbek motorways] said that about % (USD 1.6bn) of the project's cost would be covered from government funds and the national road fund.

It is planned that the remained part of the money needed for the implementation of the project would be credits from the Asian Development Bank and the Chinese government which are allocated for Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states as well as credits from some international financial institutions.

The project envisages construction of 1,427-km-long four-lane highway Beyneu-Qongirot-Bukhara-Samarqand-Tashkent-Andijan, as well as 18 large and over 600 middle and small bridges, about 300 overpasses and road junctions.

The project's authors hope that its implementation will make it possible to increase international and transit transport across the country by 50%, and domestic cargo and passenger transport by 60-70%.