2007 Press Releases
Fact Sheet on Tajik - Afghan Nizhny Pyan Bridge
Read Russian and Tajik version
PROJECT
The Tajik-Afghan bridge over the Nizhny Pyanj is the largest U.S. Government-funded ($37.1 million) infrastructure project for Tajikistan. Norway also donated nearly $900,000 for the bridge.
The project includes Border Police Barracks, an Administration Building, a Dining Facility, a Drive-Through Scanner Building and a small Customs Facility.
The bridge crosses the Pyanj River between Sher Khan Bander, Afghanistan, and Nizhny Pyanj, Tajikistan. In Afghanistan, the Asian Development Bank is building a road link to the Afghan Ring Road. Japan is building and rehabilitating a road from the bridge northwards to connect to existing roads and the southern Tajik city of Dusti.
The bridge will provide the region with inter-connectivity by cutting the distance between Dushanbe and seaports almost in half. It also facilitates access to a warm water port in Karachi, Pakistan, for the countries to the north. This should spur increased trade and economic development throughout the region.
BRIDGE FACTS
| Builder: | The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the firm Rizzani de Eccher S.p.A. of Udine, Italy, designed and constructed the bridge. |
| Length: | 673 meters |
| Capacity: | 1,000 vehicles per day |
| Materials: | 19,100 cubic meters of concrete Stainless steel sheets fabricated in Europe, weathered in Italy, then shipped to Tajikistan |
| Bridge Type: | Weathering-steel girder bridge; two lanes of traffic, plus pedestrian/cart path Eleven piers, twelve steel spans, and two abutments Designed to require little or no maintenance |
| Safety: | Piles 22-24 meters into bed-rock - 80 percent of the bridge’s structural concrete is below water Designed for Seismic Analysis Zone 5 (the highest) |
| Workforce: | Over 450 local Tajik and Afghan persons at the peak of construction 30-40 supervisors/engineers from Philippines, Thailand, India, Russia, Europe, North America, Africa |
PROJECT TIMELINE
June 2005 - Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, and former U.S. Ambassador Richard Hoagland participated in a groundbreaking ceremony and a ceremonial ribbon cutting.
January 27, 2006 - First pile was placed.
August 26, 2007 – Dedication of Nizhny Pyanj Bridge by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez, U.S. Ambassador William Wood, and U.S. Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson.
BORDER AND CUSTOMS FACILITIES
The contractor for the border crossing complexes was Technologists Incorporated, based out of Kabul, Afghanistan.
The U.S. funded an additional $11 million for modern border posts and customs facilities for vehicles/buses, an inspection hall/scanning facility (gamma ray and undercarriage scanners), a commercial customs facility, and other facilities on the each side of the bridge site.
The European Union also provided $12 million for border crossing facilities and a commercial customs facility on the Afghan side of the bridge.
U.S. ASSISTANCE TO TAJIKISTAN
In 2007, the U.S. is providing over $45 million in assistance to Tajikistan in addition to funds for the Nizhny Pyanj bridge. These funds contribute to Tajikistan’s security, economic development, democratic freedoms, and the health and education of Tajikistan’s citizens. Since 2003, the U.S. has provided $300 million in assistance to Tajikistan.
FACT SHEET ON POTENTIAL ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF TAJIK-AFGHAN NIZHNY PYANJ BRIDGE
“The inadequacies of the road transit systems impose a binding constraint on trade in Central Asia.” Asian Development Bank Report, 2006
“Once this route [to Afghanistan via Nizhny Pyanj] becomes truly operational, it is likely to have a profound impact on Tajikistan’s trade and its economy.” World Bank, Tajikistan Trade Diagnostic Study, 2005
Afghan-Tajik trade will double over the next five years, and trade at Nizhny Pyanj will quadruple
In 2006, 25% of Tajik-Afghan trade occurred at the Nizhny Pyanj ferry crossing site. After the bridge opening, 50% of Tajik-Afghan trade should take place at Nizhny Pyanj.
- Current capacity at Nizhny Pyanj ferry: 40 trucks per day
- Future capacity at Nizhny Pyanj bridge: 1,000 vehicles per day
Trade at the Nizhny Pyanj crossing in 2006 (according to Government of Tajikistan) officially equaled $6.0 million. Unofficial estimates put trade at Nizhny Pyanj up to $30 million.
| Amount | Total Weight | |
| Afghanistan to Tajikistan: | $2.5 million | 1,500 tons |
| Tajikistan to Afghanistan: | $3.5 million | 2,400 tons |
| Total: | $6.0 million | 3,900 tons |
Overall Afghan-Tajik trade equaled $25 million in 2006 according to official data. Unofficially, Afghan-Tajik trade may be $50 million including transit cargo from third countries.
Tajik exports will cost less, while Tajik consumers will gain access to global products, and reduce dependence on rail routes
In 2006, 87% of Tajikistan’s exports went outside the CIS. The bridge provides an alternative to Uzbekistan’s Termez bridge, providing Tajikistan a connection to Pakistani ports in Karachi, which could re-route cargo from Termez to Nizhny Pyanj. The bridge will reduce the cost for Tajik exports to reach non-CIS countries, making Tajik products more competitive in the global market.
- For example, transport costs for Tajik cotton exports are currently $0.18 per kilo on average, sent north via rail or truck to Riga via Kazakhstan and Russia, or west to Georgia, Turkey, or the Bandar ‘Aabas port in Iran. Local businesses estimate that transport costs will be reduced to as low as $0.10 per kilo for land transport south to Karachi.
The bridge will allow Tajikistan to broaden its sources of imports - currently 66% of Tajikistan’s imports come from CIS countries.
Tajikistan will gain increased access to:
- Cement from Pakistan
- Pharmaceuticals from India
- Consumer goods from China
- Cement, citrus fruits, vegetables, perfume oils and products, and textile products from Afghanistan
Afghanistan will gain access to:
- Wheat, vegetable oil, fertilizers, carpet materials, wood, clothing, shoes, black metals, mechanical equipment, electrical equipment (transformers, stabilizers) and vehicles from Tajikistan, Russia, and Kazakhstan
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