Ukraine builds road bridge across the Amu Darya in Turkmenistan

Ukrainian Altcom Road Construction Ltd has completed construction of a road bridge over the Amu Darya between Atamurat-Kerkichi in Turkmenistan, an official Turkmen source reported.
The bridge is about 1500 meters long and the width of the two-lane road is more than 10 metres. Some 14 strong supports were constructed to a depth of almost 50 metres.
The total cost of construction is $159 million. Almost 600 people were involved in the construction, including 130 Ukrainian specialists.
The bridge is a part of the East-West international transport corridor which recreates the Great Silk Road.
This facility will allow the population of the coastal zone to create conditions for transportation, contribute to the implementation of programmes to accelerate the development of rich mineral resources of the Amu Darya right bank basin, where construction of large industrial facilities for production of potash fertilizers and cement was launched and production of hydrocarbon resources is being developed.
The bridge is designed to resist earthquakes measuring nine on the Richter scale. The project was developed by experts of the Soyuztransproekt and Ukrgiprobudmost scientific research design institutes in Kiev.
According to plans, Ukrainian Altcom will construct another bridge across the Amu Darya between Turkmenabat and Farab.
In September 2009, the Atamurat-Kerkichi rail bridge was commissioned over the River Amu Darya.