The reconstruction of Shota Rustaveli street, where for the first time in Uzbekistan a dedicated bus rapid transit lane (BRT) has been set up in the center of the street, will become a model for other Tashkent streets, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced Wednesday during the project progress inspection.
"Now this street will be a model for other streets," the head of state said. The Tashkent mayor Shavkat Umurzakov reported that the street's reconstruction had been performed as per the unified design code.
"All streets will be like this, dear President. As you said, the streets have been aligned with the common design... Bike paths and pedestrian walkways have been separated. Bushes and 14,000 trees have been planted. The drainage system has also been improved," he noted.
The president noted that the bus line ran down the middle of the street, as per the directives.
"If the streets are like this, if we introduce buses and shuttle buses, people will drive their own vehicles only on Saturdays and Sundays. Why is that necessary? It's cheap, safe, and fast. Why do we need a vehicle in the first place? A car on Saturday and Sunday will be used to take children for recreation," Mirziyoyev said.
The mayor added that, thanks to the new system, bus speeds on the line had doubled.
The reconstructed section is approximately 7 km long. The project cost is $19.2 million.
In the coming years, Tashkent authorities vowed to expand the BRT network by 10 routes, totaling approximately 51 km. A total of $126 million is planned for the project.
