Reconstruction of Murgab–Kulma highway expected to begin in 2027
Tajikistan plans to begin reconstructing the 90-kilometer Murgab–Kulma highway in 2027 with Chinese grant assistance. The Ministry of Transport and the Chinese Embassy have signed a protocol on the project’s feasibility study, the ministry reports.
The document was signed on October 29 by Transport Minister Azim Ibrohim and Sun He, Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Chinese Embassy. The ministry announced the agreement on October 30.
According to the ministry, the protocol was prepared following technical surveys and a feasibility study. It outlines the project’s technical, economic, organizational and legal aspects, as well as construction methods and standards.
The reconstruction will cover 90 kilometers of road, with financing provided through a Chinese grant.
The ministry did not disclose the project’s cost, completion date or contractor.
Project length increased from 67 to 90 kilometers
The Murgab–Kulma highway reconstruction has been included in Tajikistan’s transport development plans for several years.
Earlier, the Ministry of Transport listed the project among eight road infrastructure initiatives expected to begin in 2026. At that time, the planned section was 67 kilometers long, with an estimated cost of 78 $ million.
By September 2026, however, the proposed reconstruction had expanded to 90 kilometers.
The ministry has not explained the change in length or provided an updated cost estimate. The previously announced 78 $ million figure therefore cannot be assumed to cover the entire 90-kilometer section.
The highway forms part of the proposed multimodal transport corridor linking China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Türkiye and Europe.
Tajikistan’s only land crossing with China
The road connects to the Kulma–Qarasou border crossing in Murgab district of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO).
Opened in 2004, it remains the only official land border crossing between Tajikistan and China and serves as an important route for Chinese goods entering the country.
The document was signed on October 29 by Transport Minister Azim Ibrohim and Sun He, Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Chinese Embassy. The ministry announced the agreement on October 30.
According to the ministry, the protocol was prepared following technical surveys and a feasibility study. It outlines the project’s technical, economic, organizational and legal aspects, as well as construction methods and standards.
The reconstruction will cover 90 kilometers of road, with financing provided through a Chinese grant.
The ministry did not disclose the project’s cost, completion date or contractor.
Project length increased from 67 to 90 kilometers
The Murgab–Kulma highway reconstruction has been included in Tajikistan’s transport development plans for several years.
Earlier, the Ministry of Transport listed the project among eight road infrastructure initiatives expected to begin in 2026. At that time, the planned section was 67 kilometers long, with an estimated cost of 78 $ million.
By September 2026, however, the proposed reconstruction had expanded to 90 kilometers.
The ministry has not explained the change in length or provided an updated cost estimate. The previously announced 78 $ million figure therefore cannot be assumed to cover the entire 90-kilometer section.
The highway forms part of the proposed multimodal transport corridor linking China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Türkiye and Europe.
Tajikistan’s only land crossing with China
The road connects to the Kulma–Qarasou border crossing in Murgab district of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO).
Opened in 2004, it remains the only official land border crossing between Tajikistan and China and serves as an important route for Chinese goods entering the country.
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