The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the road safety organisation Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport (EASST) are collaborating with other partners for a road safety project in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

The collaboration is to educate both pedestrians and drivers on adopting new ways of navigating transport interchanges as a major international motorway is due to become operational soon.

The new motorway will be coming up at Somoni Avenue, on a busy built-up area in Dushanbe.

EBRD is supporting EASST’s initiative along with the capital’s traffic police, which aims to reduce risks for pedestrians and other road users through this awareness campaign.

The project is being carried out under the support of the global Decade for Action for Road Safety.

The new road project also includes teaching children how to cross roads safely and the importance of being seen on the roads and working with local residents to raise awareness of safe pedestrian behaviour.

"The project is being carried out under the support of the global Decade for Action for Road Safety."

The EBRD is co-financing this motorway project along with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the upgrade of section 1 of the M41 motorway linking Dushanbe with the Uzbek border.

Additionally, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing a grant for a different section of the same motorway, and is also supporting local road safety projects.

The new motorway is reported to be very crucial for national and regional connectivity. It connects Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Turkmenistan.

Image: Roads in Tajikistan. Photo: courtesy of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.