Uzbekistan plans to modernise transport infrastructure along its border with Turkmenistan, including the construction of a new bridge in the Alat District of the Bukhara Region. A total of 25 billion soums is to be allocated for the project and the development of related road infrastructure. This was reported by Gazeta.uz.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev issued the relevant instruction on 4 November during a meeting dedicated to the socio-economic development of the Bukhara Region. At the meeting, Alat District Governor Nargiza Neymatova noted that the existing bridge could no longer handle the growing traffic volume. According to her, the number of freight and passenger vehicles using the bridge, reportedly built around 1980, has tripled.

Under the proposal, a modern concrete bridge and an access road would be built to serve the cross-border trade zone and logistics centre. The preliminary project cost, calculated with the use of artificial intelligence technologies, amounts to 25 billion soums.

The head of state instructed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov to ensure that the necessary funds are allocated from the reserve fund.

On the same day, representatives of Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport, Customs Committee and other relevant agencies visited the Olot customs checkpoint on the border between the two countries. According to the ministry, the existing bridge over the Yemonjar Canal, which connects the neutral zones of the two countries, was built in 1978 and is now technically outdated. It has therefore been proposed that it be replaced with a new bridge capable of allowing at least two trucks to pass simultaneously in each direction.

The project is expected to increase the capacity of the border crossing, reduce traffic congestion and facilitate the movement of trucks, passenger vehicles and pedestrians.

The need to modernise the infrastructure is also linked to the growing volume of traffic. According to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport, more than 243,000 vehicles crossed the Olot customs checkpoint between January and October 2026. This is 2.3 times higher than the figure recorded during the same period in 2022. Currently, around 1,200 vehicles pass through the checkpoint daily in both directions.

In addition, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are discussing ways to improve the rules governing international freight transport. In particular, they are considering the possibility of abolishing the trailer-swapping procedure introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the current arrangement, when crossing the border, a trailer is detached from a tractor unit belonging to one country and transferred to a carrier from the other country. According to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport, abolishing this procedure would reduce additional operations and shorten cargo delivery times.

At the same time, the proposals for modernising border infrastructure still need to be examined in detail, and the relevant feasibility studies must be prepared. There is currently no precise information confirming whether the 25 billion soums allocated on the president’s instructions are intended specifically for the construction of the bridge over the Yemonjar Canal.

Developing transport links in this direction is also important for joint economic initiatives between the two countries. Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have previously discussed establishing the Alat–Farap cross-border trade zone, which would connect the Bukhara and Lebap regions.

The initiative was also discussed in March 2026 during a meeting between Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Turkmenistan, Ravshanbek Alimov, and Lebap Region Governor Durdy Genjiyev. The project aims to increase bilateral trade turnover, expand trade and economic relations, and create new opportunities for entrepreneurs in border regions.

In August 2026, the two sides also discussed improving the operation of the Farap–Alat crossing, reducing queues, establishing a dedicated corridor for transporting perishable goods, and building a second bridge in the neutral zone.

The modernisation of the Olot–Farap border crossing is regarded as one of the important areas for further developing transport and trade relations between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.