The Qalaikhumb–Vanj–Rushan border highway, which is part of the Dushanbe–Kulob-Khorog–China border multimodal international corridor, is set to be completed one year ahead of schedule in June 2025. This was announced by Tajikistan’s Minister of Transport, Azim Ibrohim, at a January 29 news conference in Dushanbe.

According to him, construction of 13 out of 15 bridges along this route has been completed, with 3,388 meters of the first tunnel (out of 4,000 meters) and 1,000 meters of the second tunnel (out of 1,800 meters) already built.

The rehabilitation of this challenging section of the Dushanbe–Kulob-Khorog-Kulma highway began in September 2022, funded by a US$230 million grant from the Chinese government. The project’s main contractor is China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).

After full reconstruction, this road section will be 16 km shorter, reducing the total length to 92.3 km.

Rehabilitation of the Qalaikhumb-Vanj road includes construction of two tunnels with a total length of 5.2 kilometers, a 490-meter gallery and 15 bridges with a total length of 634 meters.

The Chinese government allocated a US$230 million grant for the rehabilitation of the Qalaikhumb–Vanj section.  However, the Ministry of Transport notes that additional US$770 million will be needed to fully reconstruct the remaining portion of the road up to the Chinese border, which spans approximately 560 kilometers.

Next steps: Rushan–Murgab highway rehabilitation

The minister also noted that the World Bank-financed rehabilitation project for the 235 km Rushan–Varkhedz road (near the Murgab district border) has been completed and approved.

Negotiations are now underway with China’s government for funding this project.

Additionally, fieldwork has been completed on the remaining 296 km of road within Murgab district up to the China border, and the design phase is now beginning.

After full rehabilitation, the Dushanbe–Khorog–China border highway will serve as a major international transport corridor, which Ibrohim emphasized as economically crucial for Tajikistan.

Experts believe that the full rehabilitation of this highway will significantly boost international trade by improving connectivity and reducing transportation challenges in this mountainous region.

The Dushanbe-Kulob-Darvoz-Khorog-Kulma-Karokurum highway may reference Asian Highway 66 (AH66) as well as parts of the famous Pamir Highway.  AH66 runs from Dushanbe to Xinjiang, crossing the border at Kulma Pass and connecting to the Karakoram highway that runs north-south from China into Pakistan