Panj River - Bridges

Bridges

• Afghanistan-Tajikistan Bridge: A highway bridge was built over the river between Tajikistan and Afghanistan at Nizhnii Panj. The contract was awarded in May 2005 and the construction of the bridge began in Jan 2006 and was completed in August 2007. The financing was provided by the USA, amounting to 37 million USD, and the construction was done by an Italian General Construction company Rizzani de Eccher S.p.A. under the ownership of US Army Corps of Engineers. The bridge replaces a barge with which only 60 cars a day can be transported and which is unusable many months in the year due to strong current of the river. RAWA reports that this facilitates the heroin trade, the key to the economic miracle in Afghanistan.

• Another bridge at was built at the confluence with the Gunt River at Khorog in 2003.
• A bridge exists at Langar, which may still be closed.

The Aga Khan Development Network has been engaged in a project to build a series of three bridges across the Panj River between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

• The first of these bridges, connecting Tem on the Tajik side with Demogan on the Afghan side, was inaugurated by Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmonov, Afghanistan’s Vice-President Hedayat Amin Arsala and His Highness the Aga Khan in November, 2002.
• This was followed by the inauguration of the Tajik-Afghan Friendship Bridge at Darwaz in July, 2004,
• The Ishkashim bridge between Ishkashim, Afghanistan and Ishkashim, Tajikistan was inaugurated in October, 2006.