18.10.2026

Continuing his visit to the Samarkand region, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev inspected the construction of a bridge across the Karadarya River.

The large-scale infrastructure project is designed to improve traffic flows, enhance road safety and ease congestion. The bridge will connect the developing Shirin district with the city of Samarkand and the international airport.

The cost of the project is 310 billion soums. The bridge is 780 meters long and 29.8 meters wide. It will have four traffic lanes and a capacity of up to 25,000 vehicles per day.

Once commissioned, the bridge will reduce the distance from the Shirin district to the city center from 23 kilometers to 4 kilometers and cut travel time by 30 minutes.

The President was briefed on the project’s technical solutions and measures to manage traffic flows.

He also spoke with local community representatives.

“In 2016, only 1.2 million tourists visited Uzbekistan. Today, Samarkand alone receives 5 million tourists annually. Could we have ever imagined such results? Of course, the world today is increasingly competitive. We must also strengthen our position in this competitive environment.

If we develop projects effectively and organize logistics efficiently, we can reduce people’s costs and travel time. After all, a city should serve its people!”

“This bridge was one of my long-held goals. Today, that dream has come true,” the President said.

Continuing the idea that a city should serve its people, the President emphasized everyone’s responsibility to the people and the Motherland:

“Yesterday, in my speech, I repeatedly emphasized the words ‘our own,’ ‘we ourselves,’ ‘our identity’ and ‘ours.’ We must live with the conviction: ‘I am an Uzbekistani. I act for the good of my people, I study for the sake of my people, and I strive for new things for the sake of my future.’”