Turkmenistan transport projects rank among Central Asia's top 10 by EDB

July 24, 2026 at 07:17 AM1 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Turkmenistan's transport projects rank among the top 10 largest initiatives in the Eurasian transport framework by investment volume, according to a new Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) report. The report highlights six projects worth $6.05 billion planned or underway through 2035, with highways accounting for $4.7 billion. Turkmenistan's share of total Central Asian transport investment stands at 10%.

Investment Breakdown

The EDB report identifies six transport corridor projects in Turkmenistan with a total investment of $6.05 billion. Of this, $4.7 billion is allocated to highways, $1.2 billion to railways, and $0.15 billion to border crossing points. Two projects are fully state-funded, while four involve borrowed financing. The investment-to-GDP ratio for transport stands at 7.8%.

Key Completed Projects

The largest completed project is the Ashgabat–Turkmenabat highway, specifically the Mary–Turkmenabat section (288 km) opened in April 2026 at a cost of $2.40 billion. The four-to-six-lane road reduces travel time from Uzbekistan to Iran and the Turkmenbashi port by 30%. Another completed project is the Turkmenbashi–Garabogaz–Kazakhstan border road with a new bridge over Garabogazgol Bay, costing $0.45 billion.

Corridor Integration

Projects worth $5.9 billion are linked to the TRACECA corridor, while $0.15 billion are part of the North–South corridor. The new highways in Turkmenistan, combined with Uzbekistan's Tashkent–Samarkand and Tashkent–Andijan roads, will create a high-speed road corridor connecting China, Central Asia, Iran, the South Caucasus, the Persian Gulf, and Turkey.