Kazakhstan Opens its Longest Bridge

The Kazakh government's press service has reported that on October 21, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov  attended the opening of Kazakhstan’s longest bridge. Spanning 1,316 meters across the Bukhtarma Reservoir, the new bridge which connects six districts of  Kazakhstan's eastern region, can accommodate up to 80,000 vehicles per day and reduce travelling time from hours to minutes. In his address at the launch, the president stressed that the bridge would allow for safe year-round traffic and accelerate the region's socio-economic development, stating: "For 50 years, residents of the region traveled [across the reservoir] either by ferry in the summer or directly on the ice in the winter and have been waiting for the bridge's construction for a long time." East Kazakhstan is a strategic region through which important transport corridors pass. The bridge across the Bukhtarma Reservoir will improve transport and logistics routes, ensure uninterrupted connections with bordering countries, and help unlock the region's tourism potential. The new bridge follows the opening of the country's longest automobile tunnel in September at the Shakpak Baba Pass in southern Turkestan.

Accelerating Growth: Uzbekistan’s Automotive Industry Continues to Expand

Uzbek-Singaporean company Technologies of Real-Time plans to start producing components for such famous brands as BYD, Chery, Changan, Geely, and Dongfeng, it was announced during President Mirziyoyev's visit to the Tashkent region. The project will cost $115 million and is planned to be realized by 2025. As a result, 43 new jobs will be created, and production capacity will increase from 180,000 to 280,000 units annually. The automobile industry is a critical component of the Uzbek economy, with car production growing almost threefold in recent years. By the end of this year, production volume is expected to reach 460,000 units, and by 2030, it is planned to increase this figure to 1 million. Two new private enterprises and international brands have been brought in to eliminate monopolies and promote competition in the industry, with more than 20 plants in the country producing a wide range of cars and trucks. In response to the growing demand for spare parts, more than 300 enterprises have joined a cooperative network, including Technologies of Real-Time in Zangiat. In November 2019, the President familiarized himself with the products of this enterprise at an international industrial fair, and recommended its further expansion. As a result, extensive modernization has been carried out, and new equipment from China, Russia, South Korea, Japan, and the United States has been installed in 12 workshops. Currently, more than 750 types of spare parts for 118 car models are produced here. The enterprise has created 220 jobs. Products are supplied to the domestic market, including to the Uzavto Motors plant in the Khorezm region, where 773,000 spare parts for Damas and Labo were shipped. Spare parts are also in demand abroad: last year, exports amounted to $3 million, including deliveries to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.