Uzbekistan takes radical measures to streamline the system of road construction and repair.
Efficiency as Top Priority
The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has decreed to abolish the Uzavtoyul State Joint-Stock Company for the Road Construction and Maintenance, and reorganize it into the State Committee for Roads of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which will be the legal successor of Uzavtoyul in its agreements and obligations, including international ones.
According to experts, there is a whole range of problems waiting to be addressed with the current state of rural roads, streets in cities, towns, villages, and settlements, most of which do not meet the requirements of traffic quality and safety.
Construction of new residential areas, urban expansion, and significant increase in the number of vehicles require taking effective measures for radical improvement of the state of regional roads. In this regard, the new committee will mainly pursue a unified technical policy in the road sector, develop and implement state programs, define development and improvement prospects.
It will also be engaged in the formation of international transit corridors, provision of integrated solutions for the financing, design, construction, repair and maintenance of roads, with an eye to the interests of users in the conditions of modern traffic flows.
The organization of scientific research, introduction of innovative technologies and modern standards in the field of design, construction, reconstruction, repair and maintenance of roads is another important function of the State Committee for Roads. The new authority will also be authorized with staff training for the industry, including the organization of training workshops and internships abroad. The Tashkent Institute for Road Design, Construction and Maintenance, and core vocational colleges will become part of the State Committee for Roads to ensure effective training of highly qualified specialists.
Quality Performance Key to Success
Establishment of the State Inspectorate for Road Construction Quality Control has been another landmark decision for the nation.
Major mission of the new structure is defined as monitoring the compliance with requirements of regulatory and technical documents in the field of road construction, production of road-building materials, goods and structures by corporate entities and individuals. From now and on, the inspectorate specialists will be mandatorily involved in operational acceptance of completed road facilities by corresponding commissions.
In addition, the Inspectorate will be assigned with standardization and certification of road-building materials, products and structures, proposition and participation in the improvement of the standard documentation for monitoring the compliance with urban planning legislation in terms of road construction.
Plans for the Future
It is intended to repair more than 5,400 kilometers of roads in Uzbekistan by the end of 2018. The parameters are defined in the Regional Roads Development Program for 2017-2018, as approved by the President of the country.
In just two years, it is planned to overhaul and repair 5,454 km of roads, urban, rural, as well as inter-farm streets. Works on 2,700 kilometers will be carried out in the current year, and another 2,754 km – next year.
Kashkadarya with 679 km, Surkhandarya with 535 km, and the Ferghana region with 520 km will be leading in the amount of works.
The rest of the country is hardly lagging in indicators. Thus, 295 km of roads are to be repaired in Karakalpakstan, 324 km in Andijan region, 439 km in Bukhara, 222 km in Jizzakh, 216 km in Navoi, 309 km in Namangan, 479 km in Samarkand, 267 km Syrdarya, 516 km in Tashkent, 321 km in Khorezm regions, and 332 km of roads and streets are planned for reconstruction in the capital city.
Specialized road building companies will be concurrently outfitted with modern types of machinery and equipment to ensure the better quality of construction and repairs. For these purposes it is projected to procure about 330 items of specialized equipment.
Creation of an electronic database of road data is another interesting point of the program. It will be built upon phased inventory and certification of existing inter-farm roads, urban and rural streets.
CONTEXT
Today, the total length of the road network in the country exceeds 183,000 km. More than 42,600 km of them constitute public roads subdivided into those of international, national and local importance. They also include the Uzbek National Highway of 3,000 km.
