Uzbekistan expands A380 highway to boost trade between China and Europe

A major highway section in Central Asia is being expanded to strengthen trade links along a freight route connecting China to markets in Europe. Euronews reported that a 25-kilometre section of the A380 highway in Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic in northwestern Uzbekistan, is being widened from two lanes to four. The road section links the cities of Nukus and Urgench. [1]

Construction work on the road section is approximately 90% complete, according to Euronews. Freight operators have reported faster journeys and reduced transport costs following the infrastructure improvements. However, border delays continue to present a major obstacle along the route, leading to additional investments aimed at modernising cross-border procedures. [1]

Uzbekistan is one of five countries located in Central Asia alongside Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. As FTMQ News reported earlier, international logistics providers have also been expanding infrastructure across the region, including plans by German logistics company Rhenus Group to build a multimodal hub in Aktau, Kazakhstan, as part of a network along the Middle Corridor trade route. [8][12]