The Obigarm-Nurobod road section of the existing M41 - part of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) network (Corridors 2, 3 and 5) and connecting the northeast region of Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic between Obigarm (72 km) and Nurobod (158 km) - has to be replaced with a new road as the Rogun Dam is being built 100km east of Dushanbe to harness the hydropower potential of the Vahdat River. When the dam is created it will cover the existing M41 road. The realignment of this road section through the river valley is not part of the Rogun HPP project.

The Project Implementation Unit for Road Rehabilitation (PIURR) of the Ministry of Transport (MoT) of Tajikistan is proposing to construct a replacement 76-km road for the M41 in the mountain range to the north of the Vahdat River Valley. The new two-lane road will include 3 new tunnels with a total length of about 6 km and 17 bridges, through a combination of: repairs, upgrades and the construction of new bridges. The project road is divided into three sections corresponding to three contract packages that will be procured separately through open competitive bidding.

Section1: the Obigarm-Tagikamar section (Km 0+000 to Km 30+217) includes two tunnels of 1.6 km and 1.7 km and local access roads. It will be financed by a USD 110 million grant from Asian Development Bank (ADB) and USD 40 million loan from OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID).

Section2:  the Tagikamar-Nurobod section (Km 30+217 to Km 75+600) includes 1 tunnel of 2.6 km, 1 long temporary bridge and local access roads. It will be financed by a USD 150 million loan from European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Section 3: the section from Km 72+900 to Km 74+303  includes the 760 m long bridge over the Rogun HPP Reservoir at Darband over the Surhkhob River. It will be financed by a USD 40 million loan from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

The construction of some parts of the project road started in 1988 (mostly earthworks) but was suspended following the abandonment of the Rogun HPP project.

Development of the feasibility study and the working documentation of this road commenced in 1975. In 1984 the Project was approved, and road construction began and was continued up to 1992. During this period works carried out included: some earth works, construction of 4 bridges, and some culverts. Work on two tunnels (Kandak and Karagach) had also commenced but progressed very slowly due to limited funds. At the beginning of 1990 the Project was suspended with the break-up of the Soviet Union. The Project was not restarted, and much of earlier work (rockfall protection and structure stability) has since been damaged and now needs to be repaired/ rebuilt.

The proposed road alignment generally follows the same alignment that was studied and selected during the Soviet era, with the base earthworks for this alignment having already been established. Some adjustments to the original alignment have been agreed.

The bypass road must be completed and opened to traffic by latest November 2023, the date by which the rising water in the HPP reservoir will have inundated several critical sections of the M41 highway. No other part of Tajikistan's national highway network can provide for this traffic, and the only alternative route would represent a deviation of about 500 km.

For the tender announcement please click tj/13 . Visit  https://www.ebrd.com/documents/environment/496502.zip?blobnocache=true.

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