Head of State tasks to develop the road sector

On October 2, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting on the issues of development of the road sector and wide attraction of investments in this sphere.

In our country, 98 percent of all cargo and 88 percent of passengers are transported by road. In recent years, the share of finished products in domestic exports has been increasing, which will continue to increase. Developed road infrastructure is needed for fast and qualitative delivery of goods.

Issues of development of the sphere, stable financing of road construction projects were discussed at the meeting.

The need was noted for active involvement of international organizations and private partners in construction and repair of roads. In particular, instructions were given on implementation of 18 major projects based on such a partnership, covering 1.6 thousand kilometers of roads of international and national importance.

Insufficient participation of regions in the repair of internal roads was indicated. The Ministry of Finance was entrusted with the task of introducing a procedure according to which the funds of the republican budget will be allocated only to public roads, and the funds of local budgets – to internal roads.

It was noted that in foreign practice of road construction, public-private partnerships (PPPs) have proven themselves well. Investors in public-private partnership projects can be attracted by passing them roadside infrastructure facilities.

Responsible persons were instructed to develop a procedure for placing roadside facilities within the framework of PPP projects and their operation.

The authority for issuing permits for advertising on public roads was proposed to be transferred to the Committee on Roads.

It is also necessary to organize a working group on reforming the road sector from among the representatives of relevant ministries and agencies and develop a Strategy for Development of Roads for 2020-2030. It will primarily determine measures on improving the road management system.

Currently, the Committee on Roads performs the functions of both the customer, the contractor, and the operator, as a result of which enterprises in the sphere cannot participate in international projects. In this regard, it is planned to withdraw construction organizations from the committee system and organize the Uzavtoyul JSC on their basis. Much attention will be paid to construction of high-speed highways with participation of private partners.