South Korea eyes role in Tashkent–Andijan toll road project

South Korea has proposed assistance with the implementation of a public-private partnership (PPP) project for the construction of a toll highway between Tashkent and Andijan, according to the Ministry of Transport.

On June 6, Deputy Minister of Transport Ilhomjon Abdugafarov held talks with South Korean Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Park Sang-woo and President of Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC) Ham Jin-gyu. The discussions focused on expanding bilateral cooperation in transportation and road infrastructure.

Among the key topics were:

• The potential adoption of Korean highway management systems,
• Smart traffic signals,
• AI-based traffic control systems, and
• Implementation of technical assistance and training programs for Uzbek specialists, supported by the South Korean government.

The Korean side also proposed contributing to the digitalization of Uzbekistan’s road infrastructure, including:

• Intelligent tolling systems,
• ITS sensor technologies,
• Traffic monitoring solutions, and
• Participation of KEC in the development of road infrastructure under the Tashkent–Andijan toll road project.

The highway project, developed with support from the World Bank, was announced via an international tender in January. Over 30 leading foreign companies have already shown interest. The planned 314-kilometer expressway is expected to cut travel time between Tashkent and Andijan from 5 hours to 3 hours, boost GDP by 2.6%, and reduce traffic accidents by 40%.

Recently, the Ministry of Transport extended the deadline for tender submissions to June 21 – the second extension of the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) phase. Clarification requests were accepted until June 6.