Road Workers Day in Tajikistan Date in the current year: September 8, 2024

Tajikistan is a mountainous country; mountains cover over 90% of its surface area, with the Alay Ridge separating two major population centers of Tajikistan, Dushanbe in the south and Khujand in the north. Since the country’s mountainous landscape makes it very hard to construct railways, the country’s road transport is much better developed than rail transport and therefore much attention is paid to the construction of new roads and the repair of the existing ones.

Most of the existing roads in Tajikistan, with a total length of almost 28,000 kilometers, were built during the Soviet era. Their condition deteriorated significantly during the first decade and a half after the proclamation of Tajikistan’s independence due to the Tajikistani Civil War and a lack of state funding for the road construction industry.

The situation began to gradually change for the better in the mid-2000s, largely due to international cooperation with the neighboring states and foreign investments. For example, by 2017 China had invested about $ 2 billion to improve Tajikistan’s road and highway infrastructure. In addition, the government of Tajikistan relies on loans and grants from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and Middle Eastern banks and foundations to improve its roads.

One of the most important completed transportation projects in Tajikistan is the Anzob Tunnel under the Hissar Range, inaugurated in 2006. Also known as the Ushtur Tunnel or the Istiqlol Tunnel, it connects Dushanbe in the south to Khujand in the north. Prior to the construction of the tunnel, it was nearly impossible to travel between the southern and the northern regions of Tajikistan in winter.

Other major projects included the reconstruction of the highways connecting Tajikistan to Uzbekistan (Dushanbe — Chanak), China (Dushanbe — Kulma), and Afghanistan (Kurgan-Tube — Panji Poyon), as well as the construction of a bridge across the Panj River, the Ozodi Tunnel, the Shakhristan Tunnel, and the Khatlon Tunnel.

Unfortunately, even with international cooperation the improvement of Tajikistan’s road and highway infrastructure is not proceeding as fast as one would like. This is largely due to bureaucracy and corruption in Tajikistan, as well as a high rate of labor migration to Russia. This is why the encouragement of Tajikistani road workers is so important.

To highlight the contribution of road workers to the development of the transport system and the state economy of Tajikistan, the government of Tajikistan proclaimed the second Sunday of September as Road Workers Day. On their professional holiday, road workers are congratulated and thanked for their hard work and dedication. Those of them who’ve distinguished themselves receive valuable gifts, cash prizes, and letters of recognition.