Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 29 February, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in Khorezm region.

The head of state began his visit to the region from Amudarya district of the Republic of Karakalpakstan and took part in the opening ceremony of a new bridge that will connect Khorezm region and Karakalpakstan.

The construction of the bridge was initiated by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in December 2020.

The bridge has become an important infrastructure facility with enormous economic and social significance for the region.

The President toured the bridge, walking across it by train and car, and met with members of the public.

In his address, the head of state emphasized the importance of this facility for the development of the Aral Sea region, mitigating the environmental crisis and creating favorable conditions for the population.

– The development of Aral Sea region, in particular the Republic of Karakalpakstan, primarily mitigating the consequences of the environmental crisis and creating favorable conditions for the population living in difficult conditions, is one of the main goals of the development strategy of New Uzbekistan. As I said earlier, the fate of Karakalpakstan is the fate of Uzbekistan, the happiness and well-being of the people of Karakalpakstan is the happiness and well-being of the entire people of Uzbekistan. Today we are taking another important step on this path,” said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The new bridge, 423 meters long, connects one of the most remote areas of the country and will replace the old pontoon bridge that had been in place since the 1950s. It will provide the closest road and rail access between Karakalpakstan and Khorezm.

The project also included the construction of an 85-kilometer-long railway line and three train stations.

It is noted that residents of Amudarya district, in order to get to Nukus by car, had to travel through Urgench and Beruni, covering an additional 180 kilometers. By train, the route lay across the bridge in Khazorasp, in the east of Khorezm.

Thanks to the new bridge, these difficulties will disappear and distances will be reduced. It will provide the closest road and rail access between Karakalpakstan and Khorezm.

Thanks to the construction of the new bridge, the road’s capacity has quadrupled, and 12 thousand cars can pass along it during the day. This will save two hours of time for 48 thousand passengers and ensure safe crossing of the river.

The bridge can carry up to 24 pairs of trains in both directions, which will reduce the railway distance by 180 kilometers and reduce the delivery time of goods to 6 hours. This helps to double the annual volume of cargo transportation and reduce the cost of transportation by half. New railway routes to Kazakhstan and Russia will also open.

In addition, transporting stone from the quarries of the Karauzyak region by train, rather than by truck, will improve the safety of roads serving 4 million residents and tourists in the Aral Sea region. This will bring significant benefits to both the local population, entrepreneurs and tourists.

The President expressed gratitude to the master builders, designers and engineers for their dedicated work in difficult climatic conditions in the construction of the bridge. It was emphasized that work to create amenities for the population will continue.

In particular, this year it is planned to electrify the Bukhara-Urgench-Khiva line, and from the beginning of next year - the Miskin-Nukus line. These measures will make it possible to launch high-speed trains to Khiva and Nukus, which will greatly facilitate the travel of local residents to other cities of the country. Thanks to these projects, transport costs will be halved and passenger flow will increase by 30 percent.