Key Central Asian highway expanded to speed trade from China to Europe

Highway upgrade tightens ChinaEurope trade corridor

A major Central Asian highway is being widened to bolster freight flows along a growing trade corridor linking China with markets to the west, including Europe. In Karakalpakstan, the autonomous republic in northwestern Uzbekistan, authorities are upgrading a 25-kilometre section of the A380 that connects Nukus and Urgench expanding the carriageway from two lanes to four. Construction is about 90% complete and the work is expected to finish by the end of 2026.

Further northwest, a separate 240-kilometre stretch of the same route from Kungrad toward the Kazakhstan border was completed in 2024. Transport operators say that upgrade has substantially cut journey times and reduced vehicle maintenance. "We export products to Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and elsewhere through Karakalpakstan. Previously, trucks needed at least 10 to 12 hours to cover the 240250 kilometres between Kungrad and Beyneu. The roads were in poor condition. Now, trucks can complete the journey in three to four hours," said Damir Mamutov, general manager of international transport company Promizvest Servis.

Mamutov, whose company has operated for around 15 years, added that heavy wear on tyres and suspension once evident after one or two trips has become far less frequent since the reconstruction, cutting maintenance costs for operators.

Investment, capacity and wider regional strategy

The ongoing 25-kilometre reconstruction carries a price tag of $48.7 million (€43.6 million) and forms part of a larger road-improvement programme supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Bahodir Boltaboyev, deputy director of the ADB Project Implementation Group, said about three kilometres of concrete surfacing and an overpass remain to be finished. The works also include dedicated U-turn overpasses to improve traffic safety and flow. "Previously, around 6,000 to 7,000 vehicles used this road daily. Once reconstruction is completed, this figure is expected to rise to 14,000 to 15,000," Boltaboyev told Euronews.

The broader programme has a budget of $383.4 million (€343 million). That total comprises $274.2 million (€245 million) in ADB loans and a $109.2 million (€97.7 million) contribution from the Uzbek government. The A380 is part of Corridor 2 under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) framework, which brings together 11 countries to upgrade transport links, ease trade and deepen economic cooperation.

Begzod Djalilov, a regional cooperation specialist at the ADB, said developing economic corridors requires more than roads. Investment in tourism, agriculture and services is also needed to create jobs, raise local incomes and expand export opportunities across participating regions.

Despite those gains, border procedures remain a key constraint. Customs delays and inefficient cross-border processes can slow freight movement even where highways have been modernised. To address this, the ADB is working on modernising border crossing points: introducing digitised procedures, electronic queuing systems for trucks and improved inspection equipment.

In August 2026 the ADB approved a separate $400 million (€358 million) regional financing facility known as Border Upgrades for Integration, Logistics, and Development (BUILD). The facility targets modernisation of road and rail border crossings across the CAREC region through improved digital systems, inspection equipment and border management.

Taken together, the works on the A380 and parallel investments aim to boost corridor capacity, lower transport costs and expand trade linkages between China, Central Asia and markets farther west. Operators and officials say road upgrades are already delivering faster journeys and lower maintenance bills, while further gains will depend on parallel progress in border management and digital systems to keep traffic moving smoothly.