Contract No C37030 | September 2016

Tajikistan
INCEPTION REPORT
Dushanbe to Uzbek Border Road Improvement Project:
Review of Road Standards and Road Sector Institutional Reform
September 2016

• SUBMITTED BY:
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Document Verification Sheet:

R
Established : Verified : Approved:
DATE E
M.POURASHRAF E. ADHAMI O. YATIMOV Modifications
Team Leader
V Project Director Project Supervisor

0 01/10/2016 Draft Edition

A 03/11/2016 Final Edition

B
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CONTENTS

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... 6

2. SCOPE OF THE PROJECT ............................................................................................................. 10
2.1 OVERALL CONTEXT ........................................................................................................................... 10
2.2 PROJECT OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................................................... 10
2.3 EXPECTED RESULTS AND OUTPUTS ................................................................................................. 10
2.3. KEY ISSUES ....................................................................................................................................... 11
3. INCEPTION PHASE FINDINGS ...................................................................................................... 12
3.1. THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK .................................................................................................................. 12
3.2. MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT ................................................................................................................ 13
3.2.1. Organization Structure .......................................................................................................... 13
3.2.2. Roles and Responsibilities ................................................................................................... 13
3.3. ROAD MAINTENANCE......................................................................................................................... 13
3.3.1. Classification of road maintenance activities ..................................................................... 15
3.3.1.1. Routine maintenance ....................................................................................................................... 15
3.3.1.2. Periodic maintenance ...................................................................................................................... 15
3.3.2. Overview of road network maintenance ............................................................................. 16
3.3.3. Road maintenance equipment and facilities ...................................................................... 18
3.3.3.1. Laboratory for testing and materials: ............................................................................................. 18
3.3.3.2. Road network data collecting devices ........................................................................................... 19
3.3.3.3. Road traffic survey equipment ........................................................................................................ 21
3.3.3.4. Axel Load Controls ........................................................................................................................... 22
3.4. PREVIOUS ROAD SECTOR STUDIES ................................................................................................. 26
3.5. ROAD CONSTRUCTION OR REHABILITATION PROJECTS.................................................................... 27
3.6. AVAILABILITY OF ROAD DATA ............................................................................................................ 28
3.7. PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION IN THE ROAD SECTOR .................................................................. 30
3.8. PARTICIPATION OF IFIS AND INTERNATIONAL DONORS .................................................................... 31
3.8.1.1. JICA - 2016 Grant............................................................................................................................. 31
3.8.1.2. JICA - 2013-2016 Grant and Technical Assistance ..................................................................... 31
3.8.1.3. EBRD - 2015 Grant & Loan............................................................................................................. 32
3.9. ROAD SECTOR LEGISLATIONS.......................................................................................................... 32
3.10. APPLICATION OF STANDARDS IN ROAD DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION .............................................. 35
4. INCEPTION PHASE ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................... 37
4.1. ESTABLISHMENT OF A PROJECT INFRASTRUCTURE ......................................................................... 37
4.2. IDENTIFYING AND MITIGATING PROJECT RISKS ............................................................................... 37
4.3. REVIEW OF THE TERMS OF REFERENCE .......................................................................................... 38
Task 1: Review of Existing Standards ................................................................................................. 38
Task 2: Detailed review and revision of standards ............................................................................ 46
Task 3: Road Sector Financing ......................................................................................................... 47
Task 4: Road Sector Institutional Reform Strategy and action plan ....................................... 50
4.4. ACCOMPLISHED ACTIVITIES .................................................................................................... 52
4.4.1. Meetings ................................................................................................................................. 52
4.4.2. Review of completed road projects ..................................................................................... 52
4.4.3. GUSAD Visits ......................................................................................................................... 53
4.4.4. Visit of Road Links ................................................................................................................. 56
4.4.5. Private and public sector survey………………………………………………57
4.5. PREPARATION OF THE INCEPTION REPORT ..................................................................................... 59
5. PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS................................ 60
5.1. TEAM STRUCTURE ...................................................................................................................... 60
5.2. PROJECT RESOURCES .............................................................................................................. 60
5.3. UPDATED WORK PLAN AND DELIVERABLES ...................................................................................... 61
6. ANNEXES
6.1. Minutes of Meetings
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ABBREVIATIONS

AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

ADB Asian Development Bank
ADT Average Daily Traffic
ASTM American Society for Testing Materials
BC Bill of Quantities
BS British Standards
CAREC Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation
CIS Commonwealth of Independent States
DMRB Design Manual for Roads and Bridges
DRIMS Dynamic Response Intelligent Monitoring System
EASC Euro Asian Council for Standardization and Certification
EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
EU European Union
FSU Former Soviet Union Russia
GIS Geographic Information System
GOST FSU State Union Standards
GoT Government of Tajikistan
GUSAD State Enterprise for Highway Maintenance (SEHM)
IFI International Finance Institutions
IRI International Roughness Index
JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency
LRN Local Road Network
MoT Ministry of Transport
MoF Ministry of Finance
PBC Performance Based Contracts
PIU Project Implementation Unit
PPP Public Private Partnership
RRN Republican Road Network
SME Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
SNiP FSU Construction Code
TA Technical Assistance
TJS Tajik Somoni
ToR Terms of Reference
WB World bank
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The information presented in this report and the conclusions reached are based on
information provided to the Consultant by the Ministry of Transport.
We would like to express our gratitude to Ministry staff who have fully co-operated with our
team and provided valuable input during the Inception Phase.
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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This Inception Report is the first deliverable prepared under the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) project the “Dushanbe to Uzbek Border Road
Improvement Project: Review of Road Standards and Road Sector Institutional Reform” –
the Project.

The report describes the activities carried out during the inception phase and our
preliminary findings, and proposals for the remainder of the project, including an updated
work plan for up to the end of August 2017.

Prior to the Inception Phase, the Technical Assistance Team met with the Minister of
Transport and key Directors in the MoT to present the objectives of the Technical
Assistance project and receive strategic direction from the MoT on project’s scope and
activities.

The inception phase took place during the period from the 17th August to 30th September
2016. The entire TA team was mobilised for this phase with the objective of conducting a
preliminary fact-finding exercise and meeting the project beneficiary and key stakeholders
as well as collecting all relevant data and reports.

The achievements during the Inception Phase are summarised below:

 Project infrastructure was established at the MoT’s building and a coordinator was
appointed to support the TA team.
 Meetings were held with various stakeholders including the Minister of Transport,
the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, GUSADs and private
construction and consulting companies.
 The project’s Terms of Reference (ToR) was fully reviewed in preparation for
planning the input of the TA team.
 Key technical, financial and legislative documentations were reviewed to understand
the current institutional organisation of the road sector.
 Information was collected on past studies, projects, standards, and senior MoT
managers were formally interviewed.
 Visits to 5 GUSAD subdivisions situated in the Sughd region and 4 situated in the
Republican Subordination region were undertaken.
 Visits of MoT facilities such as the laboratory at the Road Survey and Research
Institute and axel load control stations were undertaken.
 Data was collected from different sources such as The Tajik Geological Survey, and
the Tajik Chamber of Commerce.
 Visits to a few segments of recently rehabilitated republican roads and unrestored
FSU built roads, in order to understand the differences in standards actually applied
to design and the quality of the maintenance works.
 The TA Team visited the construction site of the Khujand-Isfara Road and
interviewed MoT’s representatives and the resident engineer about the standards
applied in detail design and the quality control of construction materials.
The findings of the Inception Phase indicate that the technical and management practices
in the road sector need to be strengthened. This priority will be reflected in the
recommendations to be generated for a revised set of road sector standards and proposals
for the institutional reform of the road sector.
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The initial findings are summarized, under the two components of the assignments, as
follow:
 Review of Road Standards - During the inception period the TA Team has
acquired substantial knowledge of the current situation regarding the application of
standards in Tajikistan.

Tajikistan’s road network was built prior to 1991 according to the SNiP construction
code and the GOST standards for materials and workmanship, which were
developed during the Soviet times. They are technically sound and based on
scientific and engineering research, but suffer certain shortcomings with respect to
pavement life cycle cost optimization and road safety.

After the breakup of the USSR, the GOST standards and SNiP codes acquired a
new status as the regional standards. They are at present administered and
updated by the Euro-Asian Council for Standardization, Metrology and Certification
(EASC), a standards setting organization chartered by the Commonwealth of
Independent States.

Some of the CIS countries have adopted all or some of the GOST standards in
addition to their own nationally developed standards. For example, we are informed
that Kazakhstan and Russia have adapted and updated a number of SNiP
construction codes, but have maintained the GOST standards without major
modifications.

A similar approach is adopted in Tajikistan. As recently as 2016, the Agency for

Construction and Architecture updated and adapted six of the SNiP construction
codes, the most important for our study are titled “Automobile Roads” .

However, in the past ten years, a substantial number of road rehabilitation projects
in Tajikistan have been financed by IFIs, especially in the framework of the CAREC
program financed by the ADB which focuses on the rehabilitation of international
transport corridors in Tajikistan.

The ADB has produced its own technical specifications for ADB financed road
rehabilitation projects, which are derived mainly from the AASHTO 1993 Pavement
Construction Guide.

Consequently, the AASHTO methods and specifications have been introduced in

Tajikistan in recent years, and the Tajik engineering community has been exposed
to the AASHTO and ASTM standards in parallel with SNiP-GOST standards.

The TA Team visited a number of completed road projects, such as Ayni -Panjkent
road, Dushanbe-Khujand road, Dushanbe-Uzbek Border road and Dushanbe-Norak
road. The TA team has observed the following shortcomings:

- Low level of design considerations to the road safety specially at intersections.

- Substandard road restraint equipment or inappropriate installation.
- Lack of road restraint equipment on certain road sections.
- Inefficient or insufficient signing and markings.
- Risk of stone debris falling from destabilized exposed rock cut slopes.
8 INCEPTION REPORT

- No provision for the environmental protection of rivers from polluted road

runoff.
- No provision for truck escape lanes in long and steep ramps.
- Insufficient ventilation, lighting and firefighting equipment in some of tunnels.
- Presence of rigid lateral obstacles along the road shoulders that are potentially
aggressive for light vehicles in case of accidental road exit.
The TA Team will reflect the above finding in drawing up a strategy for the drafting
of standards in Phase 2 of the assignment.

We are convinced that, as a member of the CIS, Tajikistan has taken the right
approach to national standards, by seeking conformity with other CIS members.

In our opinion, the SNiP codes and GOST standards, as updated by the EASC,
should be appropriate for Tajikistan. However the country must develop some
specific standards reflecting the specific geography of Tajikistan and prepare design
manuals, catalogues and guides to complement (or in some cases supersede) the
EASC sourced standards.

Preparing an entire set of new standards for Tajikistan is not advised as it is a

substantial undertaking, would require significate retaining of engineers, and is
unlikely to add sufficient value to justify the investment.

During Phase 1, working with the MoT, we will prioritize the needs for new or
revised standards and review the updated SNiP construction codes and especially
those produced by the Agency on Building and Architecture, as well as review and
comment on the ADB specifications for pavement construction.
This will form the basis for formulating a strategy to be implemented during Phase 2.

 Road Sector Institutional Reform - Tajikistan has inherited an impressive road

network of more than 26,000 Km of roads, out of which are 5,480 km of arterial
Republican Roads owned by the Government of Tajikistan and maintained by the
MoT.

After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the ensuing Civil war, the network
went into disrepair and according to the assessment conducted in 2007, more than
80% of the network was in a poor or very poor condition and required total
rehabilitation.

A vast program of rehabilitation of Republican Roads started in 2010 and will be

completed in 2025. This ambitious program is mainly financed by IFIs, specially the
ADB in the framework of the CAREC Program.

The organization of the road maintenance has not evolved since the Soviet era. The
back bone of this organization is 62 regional maintenance units or GUSAD
Subdivisions which operate under the direction of 6 Regional Road Maintenance
Units or GUSADs.

The GUSADs are attached to the Department of Road Construction & Maintenance
of the MoT, which allocates their annual budget and supervises their spending and
performance.
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There are many legal, technical, financial and operational shortcomings in this
organization, as what used to work in the Soviet times is no longer viable in a
market economy.

The main problem for road maintenance remains the lack of financing and budget
allocations, especially for preventive maintenance.

The issue of maintenance is important to IFIs as any investment in rehabilitating

roads must be complemented by effective maintenance practices and funding to
preserve the initial investment.

The JICA and the EBRD have taken a lead role in this respect by funding the
supply of urgently needed maintenance equipment to GUSADs. However, supplying
equipment only offers a temporary relief, but does not address the core problem of
lack of autonomous sustainable funding mechanism and private sector participation
in road maintenance.

In recent years, the MoT has outsourced maintenance works on some sections of
the Republican Roads using performance-based contracts which has produced
satisfactory results.

However, there are factors that limit outsourcing at larger scale such as the low
financial capacity of Tajik private contractors to take on larger projects. Theses
weaknesses could be overcome by more effective government policy and support
for SMEs...

The TA team will propose a set of reforms to the current way of managing, funding
and monitoring the road network in Tajikistan.

We will also consider a set of institutional reforms to align the MoT with the best
road asset management practices as defined in ISO55000 series. A proposal for the
institution of a second generation road fund will be reviewed as part of this study.

A key reform would be the creation of a dedicated autonomous Road Agency with
responsibility for the overall management of the MoT's present and future road
network.
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2. SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

2.1 OVERALL CONTEXT
The Ministry of Transport of Tajikistan is currently implementing the “Dushanbe to Uzbek
Border Road Improvement Project” with financial and technical support from the European
Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Asian Development Bank
(ADB).

The Ministry has requested technical assistance from the EBRD to review and revise the
standards and specifications for road sector construction and maintenance in Tajikistan.

This review will be applicable to the “Dushanbe to Uzbek Border Road Improvement
Project” as well as the broader road sector in the country. In particular, this review will
provide an opportunity to reform the road sector with an emphasis on improving road safety
and quality, and increasing private sector participation in road maintenance.

The standards currently in place for the road sector in Tajikistan are mostly derived from the
Soviet-era GOST standards and SNiP construction codes.

Although these standards are still applicable, they require adequate funding levels that
have not been available to Tajikistan since independence.

The loss of expertise in the road sector from both public and private sources has led to
reluctance to consider alternate strategies, methods and solutions.

As a result of the continued implementation of the old standards the country is incurring
unnecessarily high costs which combined with low funding levels leads to the sub-par
implementation of those standards.

2.2 PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the technical assistance project are two-fold:

1. To review and revise key standards that govern highway design and construction,
including standards for road safety, and the management of the country’s road
sector with the aim of leading to a safer and more cost-effective outcome,
responsive to the needs of a market-oriented economy and allow the introduction of
productivity enhancing technology;

2. To prepare a “Road Sector Institutional Reform Strategy and Action Plan” to help
establish a more sustainable institutional framework for the road sector, including
the introduction of more commercial approaches to the management of the road
network and the road funding environment that is likely to prevail in the medium to
long term.

2.3 EXPECTED RESULTS AND OUTPUTS

The expected results of the project based on the ToR are listed in the table below:

Expected Project Results

 A set of principles for drafting of key road design standards
 Revised design standards and mechanisms for their implementation and enforcement
 Proposals for the institution of a Road Agency
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 Reorganisation and optimisation of State Administration of Road Maintenance

 Introduction of a more commercial approach to management of the road network
 Road sector institutional reform strategy and action plan

In addition to the expected results, the project will also prepare and submit an Inception
Report and a Final Report.

2.3. KEY ISSUES

Based on our experience of similar projects financed by IFIs, the table below outlines the
key issues for a successful project outcome.
KEY ISSUES
 The SNiP-GOST standards for the road sector may not be appropriate to the present needs of
Tajikistan and there is limited capacity in the country to draft and support new standards. A
practical and sustainable approach must be found to the introduction of effective standards.
 Implementation of the substantive reforms is likely to necessitate changes to legislation and
the existing policy framework which may in places be complex and in conflict with other
legislation and policies. The project must determine the full scope of the legislative and policy
changes needed, ensure that MoT has full understanding of them, and offer advice on their
realisation.
 The reform process for the organisation and financing of the road sector must be pursued
vigorously so as to increase the efficiency of the country’s road sector. Specific measures may
include a broader separation of client and supplier organisations, privatisation (or
commercialisation) of the supplier organisations, creation of an executive agency (e.g. road
administration, road agency, or road company), increasing user participation, improving
management information systems, and seeking alternative sources of financing (e.g. through
road concessions).
 The introduction of effective competition in the road contracting sector is essential for costs to
be brought down and quality improved, as has already been shown in a recent cost study
carried out by the World Bank in Europe and Central Asia.
 Consideration to public-private partnerships (PPP) must be given as a means to encourage
the private sector to contribute to reducing the overall cost of delivering road infrastructure
services through increased efficiency and better management of risks.

The design of our approach is firmly founded on addressing the above key issues in a
systematic and structured manner.
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3. INCEPTION PHASE FINDINGS

3.1. THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK
The institutional framework of the road sector is defined in the law titled:

“Law of the Republic of Tajikistan about roads and road activities”, initially published on
May 10th 2002 and amended on March 15th 2016. (The amendment is not ratified yet)

According to the above law, the Ministry of Transport (MoT) is primarily responsible for the
development and maintenance of roads and the road transport.

The law distinguishes two types of road ownership:

- Public roads (Republican and Local)

- Private or department roads (owned by physical personness or legal entities or
Ministries)

According to the law, there is two classes of public roads in Tajikistan (Republican and
local).
Sections of Republican Roads which are subject to the International Transport Treaties
signed by the Republic of Tajikistan, are referred to as International Roads.

It should be noted that according to the law, the municipalities are owners and managers of
local roads, but in reality the municipalities do not have the financial means and technical
expertise for maintaining roads situated in their jurisdiction, so important local roads are
maintained and managed by the MoT.

Road Class Administrative Ownership Approximate

Control and Length
Maintenance (Km)
Republican MoT Government of Tajikistan 5,480
Local MoT Municipalities 8,666
Local Municipalities Municipalities 12,183
Total 26,329
Source: Indian Technocrats

Although the FSU classification of roads has no official status in Tajikistan, the indexing
system is still used on plans and in technical literature.
Regarding the construction works and the road network maintenance, the law clearly
promotes private sector participation and competitive bidding as stated below:
Article 21. The Competition in road Activities

“Road authorities help develop the competition and the market for road activities. Relations with the
entities performing the road work must be on a contractual basis. Award of contracts on activities of
construction and rehabilitation of roads must be enacted on the tender basis. In contract activities it
is not admitted the overlap of functions of the customer and the contractor in the same entity”.

TA’s Comments:

Considering the Article 21, the GUSAD’s activities are not in conflict with the law as they
only do routine and periodic maintenance and no rehabilitation or construction works.
13 INCEPTION REPORT

TA’s recommendations:
In order to be in conformity with the law, the Government should help develop the
competition and the market for road construction and rehabilitation activities.

The Tajik private contractors need to be supported by the Government in this regard.

3.2. MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT

3.2.1. Organization Structure
The MoT is comprised of eight departments:
1. Department of Road Construction & Maintenance.
2. Department of Inland Transport
3. Department of Civil Aviation
4. Department of International Relations
5. Department of Economic Analysis and Forecasting
6. Department of Administration
7. Department of Finance & Accountancy
8. The Project Implementation Group (PIG)
There is one other organization which is under the stewardship of the Ministry:
- The Road Research Design and Survey Institute
3.2.2. Roles and Responsibilities
The roles and responsibilities are as follow:
 The Project Implementation Unit (PIU) implements projects financed by the IFIs and
other international donors.
 Projects financed by the GoT are implemented by the Department of Road
Construction and Maintenance.
 The MoT has a number of associated entities, which comprises six Regional
Divisions of Roads (or GUSADs) with jurisdiction at regional level and 62 GUSAD
sub-divisions under their supervision.
 The GUSADs are under supervision of the Department of Road Construction and
Maintenance of the MoT.
 The GUSADs carry out road maintenance works using in-house resources.
 The Road Research Design and Survey Institute functions as the “Consulting
Engineers” of the MoT. Before 1991, this institute had monopoly over all design
related issues in Tajikistan. In recent years, the Institute has shared design and
engineering projects with national and international consulting companies,
especially for projects financed by the IFIs and other international donors.

3.3. ROAD MAINTENANCE

Road maintenance in Tajikistan is the responsibility of GUSADs and their geographical
organization is illustrated below:
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3.3.1. Classification of road maintenance activities

This section defines the key maintenance activities and the terms used in this section of the
report.

3.3.1.1. Routine maintenance

Routine maintenance is defined as those treatments that are applied to a pavement, in
order to keep the pavement functioning properly.
As such, routine maintenance is sometimes referred to as “reactive maintenance.” This
suggests that it is work that is performed as a reaction to a specific distress.
Routine maintenance is performed on pavements as they begin to show signs of
deterioration, but is generally considered to be a wasted effort on pavements that are
severely distressed.
Filling a pothole is an example of a routine maintenance activity: It cannot be scheduled
before the pothole appears and it should not be left unattended once the pothole has
developed. However, if there are too many potholes present, a more comprehensive repair
may be needed.
In addition to pothole repair, routine maintenance treatments applied to pavements include
edge patching, crack sealing and filling, and shoulder repair.
Routine maintenance works are divided into the following works types:
 NON PAVEMENT: These include all the activities that are accomplished outside of
the road surface, like clearing side drains & culverts, vegetation control, line-
marking, road signs repair, guard rail repair, tunnel equipment, bridge equipment,
etc.
 PAVEMENT: These are works responding to minor pavement defects caused by a
combination of traffic and environmental effects, for example, crack sealing,
patching, edge repair; shoulders re-gravelling and grading.
 ROUTINE OPERATIONS: Routine operations may be defined as those activities that
are conducted on an annual basis to ensure that the road is functioning properly.
Routine Operations is not only limited to pavement related treatments, but also
include other operational activities on bridges and tunnels.

3.3.1.2. Periodic maintenance

In contrast to routine maintenance, periodic maintenance treatments are ideally applied on
pavements prior to the manifestation of distresses. These treatments are intended to
prolong the life of a pavement by restoring (or maintaining) desirable properties while such
measures are still cost-effective.
Periodic maintenance can delay future deterioration, or correct existing distresses, and is
classified as preventive or corrective maintenance (i.e. reduce deterioration progress, or
correct existing deterioration producing a step in the distress curve). Periodic maintenance
works are divided into the following works types:
 PREVENTIVE TREATMENTS: This is the addition of a thin film of surfacing to improve
surface integrity and waterproofing without increasing the strength of the pavement.
Preventive maintenance treatments are most effective when they are applied to a
surface that is intact (i.e. free from significant cracking or disintegration). Preventive
maintenance treatments often do not contain any aggregate, or will contain fine
aggregates. Preventive treatments are not an effective means of addressing
structural deterioration such as rutting and crocodile cracking.
16 INCEPTION REPORT

 RESURFACING: This is the addition of a thin surfacing to improve surface integrity

and waterproofing, or to improve skid resistance, without increasing the strength of
the pavement significantly. They are sometimes referred to as “functional overlays,”
as they are intended to restore or enhance the ability of the roadway to serve its
purpose (function), but do not increase the load-carrying capabilities of the structure.
3.3.2. Overview of road network maintenance
Road maintenance in Tajikistan is financed by the Government from the National Budget
through budgetary allocations
Under the present system, all tax and non-tax revenues, including all fees, taxes and road
user charges from road transport are deposited in the Government treasury and are under
the authority of the Ministry of Finance.
As such there is neither any dedicated road fund nor financial resources earmarked for road
maintenance.
All Government expenditure is met from the consolidated funds through the budgetary
system. In this approach, roads are treated as public goods and financed from the general
revenue with little or no connection between the costs of road provision and the taxes
collected from road users.
The road management organization is not a dedicated organization. Furthermore, the
current approach is principally the allocation of budget by a crude repartitioning system.
Consequently, road works (road maintenance and repair, rehabilitation and reconstruction)
are not dealt with in an integrated way.
While the roads in Tajikistan have been severely damaged by deterioration over time as
well as due to the Civil War and disintegration of the Soviet Union.
GUSADs have faced, since independence, a chronic lack of equipment for repairing the
roads and inadequate budget allocations, there was also a brain drain in GUSADs as in
many other branches of Tajik economy.
The situation has improved in the last ten years by the reconstruction and rehabilitation of
important sections of road network, especially those links subject to international
conventions.
Furthermore, a substantial number of road maintenance equipment has been supplied to
GUSADs by the IFIs in the last ten years, this equipment has been deployed and had a
positive effect on the level of service and drivability of many sections of the Tajik Road
Network.
However, in spite of past efforts, the situation is far from satisfactory and the road
maintenance is plagued with:
 Insufficient and random funding
 Inefficient organization
 Low level of technical knowledge in GUSADs
 Aging work force in GUSADs
 Immigration of skilled workers
 Increased number of unskilled or semi-skilled workers in GUSADs
 Absence of private sector due to GUSADs’ monopoly in maintenance
 Inadequate support for small and medium sized contractors
 Weak banking system unable to meet the financing needs of private contractors
 Lack of a road database
 Lack of long term planning.
 Confusion about standards in force
 Lack of know-how about new materials and modern technology
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In recent years, the MoT has started outsourcing some road maintenance works, based on
performance-based contracts. These contracts are financed from the MoT’s budget and to
date some 4.0 Million USD of contracts have been awarded to the private sector.
The maintenance of the following road links has been awarded to the private companies:
 Signing of Contracts in October 25, 2013 for the period of 3 years with
LLC “Gayur-1” for the Vahdat Obi-Garm section (0-76 km) and Branch of
SC “IRS” for the Nurobod-Nimich section (120-193 km).

These projects were treated as pilot project by the MoT, both contracts are closed and
finalized now.
Annual expenditure on road maintenance (excluding external funds) is shown in the
following table:

Expenditure on maintenance of the road network

by the MoT for the period 1995-2015
Routine Maintenance Periodic Maintenance Total
Year
(TSJ) (TSJ) (TSJ)
1995 2.7 0.0 2.7
1996 2.9 0.1 3.0
1997 3.3 0.1 3.4
1998 3.6 4.8 8.4
1999 3.9 2.6 6.5
2000 4.5 6.3 10.8
2001 5.3 9.6 14.9
2002 5.5 12.4 17.9
2003 7.9 13.5 21.4
2004 13.5 21.5 35.0
2005 15.6 27.3 42.9
2006 21.5 22.7 44.2
2007 22.2 30.9 53.1
2008 25.1 9.9 35.0
2009 30.3 6.4 36.7
2010 34.0 7.5 41.5
2011 39.0 39.3 78.3
2012 46.8 13.0 59.8
2013 50.6 10.0 60.6
2014 57.2 23.5 80.7
2015 59.6 24.0 83.6

The following graph depicts the current situation from which the following observations can
be made:
- The yearly expenditure on routine maintenance has increased at a fast rate, with the
average rate of increase 4.0 Million Somoni per year during the last 15 years.

- The yearly expenditure on periodic maintenance has been variable, reducing or

increasingly depending on the availability of funding.
18 INCEPTION REPORT

Per the Indian Technocrats’ Report (2007)1 the funding requirements for routine and
periodic maintenance was estimated at 20.0 Million USD per year, but the available budget
at that time covered only 30% of maintenance needs.
According to the EBRD financed 2009 study “Road Maintenance Management Plan” the
road maintenance needs for the road network will increase from 30 Million USD to 50
Million USD in 2025.
In the next phases of study, the Technical Assistance Team will examine and update the
findings of the previous studies and propose a realistic maintenance budget.

3.3.3. Road maintenance equipment and facilities

3.3.3.1. Laboratory for testing and materials:

The Road Research Design and Survey Institute, owns and operates a modest laboratory
facility for testing of materials and the laboratory is understaffed. Half of the instruments are
inherited from the FSU period and designed to comply with the GOST standards, with some
of the instruments not being functional any longer.

We have also visited the small testing laboratory in the Tajik Technical University, which
accepts assignments from other government agencies. Their capacity is limited and they
are organized to carry tests per GOST procedures.

The only private laboratory available belongs to the Tajik Private Consulting Company
Avtostrada LLC, which is said to own equipment necessary to carry in-situ tests for bridge
foundations.

1
TA No 4294 TAJ: Strengthening Implementation of Road Maintenance Financial System” provided by Intercontinental
Consultants and Technocrats Pvt. Ltd (India). ADB 2007
19 INCEPTION REPORT

The MoT operates a laboratory for its own construction projects the “Road Inspection
Laboratory” in Dushanbe, we have not visited this laboratory during the Inception period,
but we are informed that this laboratory is only capable of basic tests.

3.3.3.2. Road network data collecting devices

Road surface profiling is an important part of highway and pavement engineering.
Systems have been developed to collect real-time continuous highway-speed
measurements of longitudinal profiles of road surfaces. From this data, engineers calculate
International Roughness Index (IRI) or Ride Number (RN). Both numbers are expressions
for the roughness (and therefore ride comfort) of a road surface.
Road profiling systems incorporate non-contact laser sensors to measure to the road
surface and accelerometers to compensate for the effects of the vehicles movement. There
are specialized road profiling systems for transverse profile, rut depth, macro texture and
other shape characteristics.
The MoT has recently acquired a van equipped with laser profiler units (WB Financing), but
the van is not operational yet as the staff training is underway.

We have no information about the MoT staff who will operate the van and how the data will
be stored, analyzed and used.
20 INCEPTION REPORT

The JICA has provided MoT with a set of 6 DRIMS devices (Dynamic Response Intelligent
Monitoring System) which are deployed in Khatlon GUSAD and Hissar GUSAD subdivision.

This JICA project aims to transfer the latest IRI measurement technology, called Dynamic
Response Intelligent Monitoring System (DRIMS), to Tajikistan.

IRI values can be easily obtained, using ordinary cars or light trucks equipped with DRIMS
that consists of laptop, GPS, accelerometer, and road monitor.

The system functions per following principals:

The JICA has trained the GUSADs’ staff necessary for operation and data handling of these
devices.
21 INCEPTION REPORT

The project has been launched in 2015 to improve maintenance management capacity of
roads and bridges.

3.3.3.3. Road traffic survey equipment

At present, there are no permanent automatic traffic survey stations operating in Tajikistan,
there are some manual counting stations managed by GUSADs, dispersed across the
country.

although there were stations deployed in the past for a limited time and for specific projects,
but these stations did not cover the whole network.

Some of GUSADs are recently supplied by the WB with automatic traffic recording
equipment, but to this date none are deployed.
The pictures below were taken at Vahdat GUSAD Subdivision:
22 INCEPTION REPORT

3.3.3.4. Axel Load Controls

The Consultant visited a few axel load control stations on the road network in Tajikistan.
The following is a summary of the situation in the north and west of the Tajikistan.

Hissar control station - The permanent control station visited is situated close to
Dushanbe on the Shahrino-Dushanbe link; only the east bound traffic is controlled by the
Hissar District police brigade.

This station is equipped with a single wheel scale and a weighing bridge. The weighing
bridge had technical issues and was not operational at the time of our visit.

We interviewed the officer in charge of the station, who informed us about their control
procedures:

- They measure the axle load, but only the gross vehicle weight (which is the sum of
individual axle loads) is controlled and if the gross weight is over 40 tons a penalty ticket
is issued.
- Only semitrailers trucks are controlled, with all other types of trucks going through the
station without control.
- The International semitrailers coming from Uzbekistan with TIR signs are not controlled,
as they are supposed to be already controlled at the border crossing.
- They control some 15 semitrailers per 24 hours and less than 3 tickets are issued.
- The overloaded semitrailers are immobilized on the board of the carriageway; they are
released once the driver is back with proof of payment.
23 INCEPTION REPORT
24 INCEPTION REPORT

Technical Assistance Team’s comments:

- This weighing station performs a small part of the needed controls, as the gross
weight compliance does not guarantee axle load compliance.
- We observed many two and three axel dump trucks transporting coal and
construction materials which were visibly overloaded as evidenced by the
overflowing bed boxes and modified extended beds. We believe that none of
these trucks are controlled as the crew has received orders to control only the
domestic semi-trailers.
- The controls are done in an unsafe manner due to breakdown of the weighing
bridge. A portable wheel scale is placed on the paved shoulder and
consequently immobilized trucks block half of the carriageway and oblige the
oncoming traffic to back up or perform hazardous maneuvers to clear the control
zone.
- We consider this station as stop-gap measure; the PIU has a program to study a
master plan for the installation of permanent axle load weighing stations which is
in early stage of implementation.
Technical Assistance Team’s recommendations:
- Stop the unsafe on-road controls with the portable wheel scale immediately.
- Repair and operate the weighing bridge as soon as possible.
- Once the weighing bridge in use, extend the control to all truck types.
- Launch studies for permanent axle load control stations and request funding as
soon as possible.

Warzob control station - This station is built and operated by a private company
“Innovative Road Solutions”, which oversees Dushanbe-Chanak toll road.

The axle weighing station is of dynamic low speed type and the controls are done on a
separate platform outside the road at 39Km from Dushanbe.

All truck types are diverted from the main road and sent to the control lane, with only the
southbound traffic being controlled.

The axle loads and gross weights are controlled and compared with the Tajik regulations,
and fines issued and paid in cash on the spot per the following table.

Axel and gross weight overload fines applied at the Warzob control station
Axel Type Axel Weight Fine
Single axel 10 Tons 35.00 Somoni
Tandem axel 18 Tons 49.00 Somoni
Tridem axel 22.5 Tons 70.00 Somoni
Gross weight 40 Tons 52.50 Somoni
25 INCEPTION REPORT
26 INCEPTION REPORT

Technical Assistance Team’s Comments

This station is the “state of the art” technology and functions in a secure and safe
environment.

Technical Assistance Team ’s Recommendations

The MoT should consider this station as a pilot project and build other stations with due
regards to the operational feedbacks emanating from this station.

Kyrgyzstan border station - This station is brand new but is not yet commissioned. The
station is equipped with a weighing bridge and only gross truck weights can be controlled
for the international truck traffic entering Tajikistan.

3.4. PREVIOUS ROAD SECTOR STUDIES

We have reviewed past studies with attention to “TA No 4294 TAJ: Strengthening
Implementation of Road Maintenance Financial System” provided by Intercontinental
Consultants and Technocrats Pvt. Ltd (India).
Furthermore, we have reviewed the “Pavement Repair Guidelines” prepared by JICA’s
experts using a simplified version of GOST 9128-09 specifications.
Another important study is the “Road Maintenance Management Plan” prepared by the
WSP International and financed by the EBRD in 2009. The data gathered during this study
will be used in the next phases of the project.
27 INCEPTION REPORT

3.5. ROAD CONSTRUCTION OR REHABILITATION PROJECTS

Many of the international road corridors have been rehabilitated in the recent years, the
main financial backers were the ADB, the EBRD and the JICA, and the main contracting
bodies were a variety of state owned Chinese contractors, design and supervision generally
was done by European or North American consulting firms.
Important past projects include:
- Dushanbe – Khujand – Chanac: Key route between the two largest cities forms part of
the RB-001 north – south route to Tashkent. Two new tunnels completed in 2012, one
through the 3200 meter high Shahristan pass along with dozens of avalanche
galleries keep the highway open year round. A private operator (IRS) collects tolls and
maintains the road.
- Ayni- panjkent: Road is parallel with the Zarafshan river, the road is financed by the
ADB and rehabilitated recently by a Chinese company.
- Qurghonteppa – Pyanj Poyon: Reconstruction of this heavily used section of two-lane
road with wide shoulders was completed in 2013 with funding from the JICA such that
the road to the Afghan border crossing is now in use.
- Dushanbe – Turzunsade: The road extending eastwards from Dushanbe to the
Uzbekistan border is converted partly into a four lane highway with construction to be
completed with interchanges near Dushanbe in 2017.
- Dushanbe – Kulyab: A new road with two long tunnels over a high mountain pass has
shortened the travel time for this segment of the route to Khorog in the Pamirs.
- Kulob – Darvaz: Sections of the new RB-004 road through the Panj River gorge have
been completed.
- Murghab – Kulma (Chinese
border to Murghab border): Ahigh
over a 4000-meter Chinese
pass. company has rebuilt the road from the
The MoT has a very comprehensive construction /rehabilitation program, as mentioned in
the 2011 Government Decree titled:

“The National Target Development Strategy for the Transport Sector, horizon 2010-2025”.

This is an ambitious program which will rehabilitate all International Corridors and many
segments of Republican Roads in the country.

The 2010-2015, “short term” part of this strategic plan is already accomplished, the 2015-
2020 “Mid-term” part is being implemented at present, and the 2020-2025 “Long-term” part
is in the planning stage at the MoT.
Tajikistan has signed many international conventions regarding transit traffic and
international road corridors. Below we have reproduced the schematic map of the
international corridors crossing Tajikistan.
28 INCEPTION REPORT

3.6. AVAILABILITY OF ROAD DATA

Road Network Data Base - There is no road network database available in Tajikistan and
the measures taken by the prior technical assistance missions to initiate a road network
database did not produce tangible results.

Census Data - The census data seems to be available and we have requested an
appointment with the Tajikistan Agency for Statistics to obtain the geo-localized census
data, but so far no appointment has been granted. The geo-localized data will be useful to
produce the map of classified road network of Tajikistan.

General Road Transport Data - The Economic Analysis and Forecasting Department of
the MoT has compiled data regarding the freight transit through the custom border posts
and regarding car registration in Tajikistan.

Road Traffic data - A few dispersed traffic counts data can be found in the feasibility
reports of implemented or ongoing projects, but there has been no systematic effort by the
MoT to compile traffic data on the country’s road network.

The Consultant has some indication of the situation gained through considering the
population centers and car ownership indicators.
We have produced a map of population centers of Tajikistan and as can be seen, the main
population centers (population more than 10 000) are situated to the north-east and south-
east of Tajikistan.

We have also studied car ownership rates in Tajikistan for 2009-2016 which is quite low
compared to the neighboring countries and compared to the west European countries.

In 2009 there was 1 passenger car available for every 28 Tajik citizens. In 2016, according
to car registration statistics, there is 1 passenger car available for every 22 Tajik citizens.
29 INCEPTION REPORT

This is far from the situation in the neighboring Kazakhstan which is 1 car for every 5
citizens based on the World Bank statistics.

The rate of increase of cars registered in Tajikistan in the period 2009-2016 is around 4%
per year, and if this trend continues the road traffic in Tajikistan will at least double in the
next twenty years.
In conclusion, the MoT should prepare for a substantial increase in the road traffic in
coming years, especially in north-east and south-east road networks of Tajikistan.
30 INCEPTION REPORT

Technical Assistance Team’s Comments:

- Lack of centralized archives is a substantial drawback for any road sector study in
Tajikistan.
- Lack of Road network database is a handicap for any type of road network
maintenance program.
Technical Assistance Team’s Recommendations:
- The MoT should store and preserve its archives on electronic and paper format as
soon as possible.
- The existing archive hall situated at the Road Research Institute is substandard
and should be rehabilitated per industry standards.
- The road network database should be built on a GIS format as soon as possible.
This is a specialized task and the MoT will need technical assistance in this
respect.

3.7. PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION IN THE ROAD SECTOR

According to past studies, private Tajik contractors lack capacity and capability, and do not
possess skills and knowledge in basic areas related to the road construction. In addition,
the private Tajik contractors suffer from lack of financial resources, machinery, equipment
and trained and qualified manpower.
Furthermore, certain factors constrain the growth of the private sector such as operational
delays in payment by state institutions, unavailability of regular and sufficient number of
contracts, bureaucratic processes, and high cost of raising finance.
In recent years, however, the MoT has attempted to support the private sector by
outsourcing some maintenance works on the road network. The municipalities of important
cities of Tajikistan, specially Dushanbe, have implemented several urban projects by
contracting national private contractors.
Based on the information gathered during the inception period, the following are the key
factors constraining the development of the private sector contracting capacity in the road
sector in Tajikistan:
 Immigration of skilled workers to other countries such as Russia
 High risk to private contractors resulting from the prevailing business environment
 GUSADs’ monopoly in the maintenance works
 Inadequate support for small and medium sized contractors
 Low return on investment for private contractors
 Weak banking system unable to meet the financing needs of private contractors
 Difficulties in meeting the cash flow requirements of contracts
 Very low imposed unit prices specially in consulting and engineering sectors
 Unequal treatment of local contractors compared to international contractors.

The above weakness is further compounded by the large multimillion dollar projects,
financed by IFIs, which often favor larger international contractors. This means the role of
local private contractors is at best limited to a supporting role as sub-contractors. Parceling
the larger projects to smaller lots may enable Tajik contractors to take the lead in some
contracts and hence help build their capacity.

Furthermore, JICA and EBRD have supplied equipment to GUSADs in order to enable
them to better deal with periodic maintenance works. The procurement of equipment has
31 INCEPTION REPORT

been accompanied with training and technical assistance missions. Although this has had
positive impact on improving the level of service being provided by GUSADs, it has
inadvertently strengthened their position as monopolists at the expense of the private
contractors. As far as we are aware, there has been no internationally led initiatives to
increase the capacity of private sector road contractors in Tajikistan.

As stated previously, the MoT has a legal obligation to promote the participation of the
private sector in the road construction and maintenance sector (Article 21 of the Tajik Law
regarding Road Related Activities).

According to our interviews with stake holders and the review of existing reports, up to the
year 2013 the MoT has not given enough support to develop the activities of private
contractors.

Starting in 2013, the MoT signed performance based contracts with a few private
contractors. However, there has not been a coordinated effort to encourage grouping of
private contractors to take on larger contracts or parceling of high value projects to smaller
lots to allow local private contractors to bid.

As far as the road maintenance is concerned, the GUSADs have a number of private
suppliers of materials and rental of equipment, but all maintenance works is performed by
GUSADs.

3.8. PARTICIPATION OF IFIS AND INTERNATIONAL DONORS

Since the independence, the IFIs and international donors have been active in Tajikistan by
financing many road rehabilitation projects, either through grants or loans.

Regarding the institutional support of the Road Sector, the main contributors have been the
JICA, the WB and the EBRD.

3.8.1.1. JICA - 2016 Grant

The latest grant agreement was signed on 25th April 2016 with the Government of
Tajikistan to provide a grant of up to 1.99 billion yen for the improvement of road
maintenance in the Sughd Region and the Eastern Part of Khatlon Region.

Sughd Region and the eastern part of Khatlon Region, the target areas of the project, face
a particularly acute shortage of road maintenance equipment despite the key role the
regions play in goods transportation not only for domestic transportation between regions
but for international transportation with neighboring countries.

This project will supply GUSADs in charge of maintaining main roads in Sughd Region and
the eastern part of Khatlon Region with road maintenance equipment. This will allow
GUSADs to properly maintain roads in their jurisdictions, thereby contributing to more
efficient transportation throughout Tajikistan and surrounding areas. By providing
equipment, this project will enable GUSADs to perform periodic road maintenance, such as
overlay works.

JICA has provided GUSADs in other regions with equipment through grant aid to Tajikistan,
and with this project, four out of the six GUSADs in Tajikistan will have received new
equipment from JICA.

3.8.1.2. JICA - 2013-2016 Grant and Technical Assistance

JICA financed a TA program during the period 2013-2016 of 2.5 million USD “Project for
Improvement of Road Maintenance in Tajikistan”, which was launched in October 2013. An
32 INCEPTION REPORT

introductory seminar on the improvement of road maintenance in Tajikistan was conducted

in Dushanbe on 27th March 2014.

The project was extended by six months to November, 2016 with the purpose of expanding
the target area to include Sughd Kulob and Khalton GUSADs in adition to Hissor GUSAD
subdivision.

3.8.1.3. EBRD - 2015 Grant & Loan

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has provided a loan extension of
USD 2.54 million to the Government of Tajikistan for the acquisition of road maintenance
equipment and spare parts, the loan extension was accompanied by a USD 2.54 million
grant.

The loan and grant funds will be used to finance the purchase of road maintenance
equipment and spare parts, including graders, excavators, trucks and laboratory equipment.

Tendering for the above equipment is expected to begin in late 2016 or early 2017.

3.9. ROAD SECTOR LEGISLATIONS

The most important legislation relevant to this TA project are vehicle size and axle load
limitations.
In the CIS countries, heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches must comply with certain
rules on weights and dimensions for road safety reasons and to avoid damaging roads,
bridges and tunnels.

The 1999 Minsk convention of CIS countries, sets maximum dimensions and weights for
international traffic to ensure Member States cannot restrict the circulation of vehicles which
comply with these limits from performing international transport operations within their
territories.

We have reviewed the axel load regulations in Tajikistan, and in the CIS countries and to
ease understanding, we have produced the following schematic drawings for the most
current types of trucks using the Tajik road network.
33 INCEPTION REPORT
34 INCEPTION REPORT
35 INCEPTION REPORT

Technical Assistance Team’s Comments

The axel load limitations are the same in Tajikistan as in the CIS countries’ convention,
but the vehicle gross weights are different.

In Tajikistan, the vehicle gross weight is limited to 40 Tons whereas in the convention
between the CIS countries, the vehicle gross weight is limited to 38 Tons.

In recent years, the European Union countries have adopted heavier vehicle gross
weights, up to 44 Tons without increasing axel loads. This increase has economic
benefits, as it reduces the Ton per Kilometer cost of goods transported without putting
much additional stress on the infrastructures.

The Russian Federation and Kazakhstan are already aligned with the EU countries and
have adopted the 44Tons maximum gross weight.

Technical Assistance Team’s Recommendation

We do not recommend for Tajikistan to increase the legal maximum gross weight of
vehicles, as in Tajikistan there are many stretches of mountainous roads which renders
the operations of heavier trucks unsafe.

3.10. APPLICATION OF STANDARDS IN ROAD DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

The TA team reviewed existing terms of reference, preliminary studies, feasibility studies,
detail design reports, and technical specifications. We also interviewed engineers at the
MoT, at the Road Research Institute’s and at construction sites.
The applied standards, in the majority of cases are the following:
- Geometric design: SNIP standards
- Pavement and earthworks design: AASHTO
- Pavement and earthworks construction: AASHTO and GOST
- Road restraint system: SNIP & GOST
- Signing and marking: SNIP & GOST
- Bridge design: SNIP
- Bridge construction: SNIP and GOST
- Toll plaza structure: SNIP and GOST
- Tunnel structures: Chinese JTG standards.
- Tunnel ventilation: Chinese JTG standards.
- Tunnel fire code: Chinese JTG standards.
- Tunnel lighting: Chinese JTG standards.

Two Tajik organizations that are active in the field of construction standards are the “The
Committee for Construction and Architecture Under the Government of Republic of
Tajikistan” and “The Agency of Standardization, Metrology, Certification & Trade Inspection
under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan”.

In 2016, the Committee published six modifications of SNiP standards to take in to

consideration Tajikistan’s special context in the design of road infrastructures, These are:

 GNiP 32-02-2012 Automobile Roads.

 GNiP 20-01-2012 Loading and their effects.
 GNiP 32-03-2012 Car parking lots.
 GNiP 32-05-2015 Road, railway and water tunnels.
 GNiP 32-01-2012 Road and railway tunnels.
 GNiP 30-01-2015 Urban zone planning
36 INCEPTION REPORT

During the next stage, the Consultant will interview authors of these documents and
compare these standards with the original SNiP from which they are derived.
37 INCEPTION REPORT

4. INCEPTION PHASE ACTIVITIES

The overview of the inception activities, as included in our Technical Proposal, is shown
below:
Component Activity
 Establishing project infrastructure
 Identifying and mitigating project risks
Inception Phase  Reviewing of the Terms of References
 Accomplished Activities
 Preparation of the Inception Report

4.1. ESTABLISHMENT OF A PROJECT INFRASTRUCTURE

A furnished office has been allocated to Corporate Solutions at the third floor of the MoT
building and fully meets the requirements of the project.

4.2. IDENTIFYING AND MITIGATING PROJECT RISKS

Risk identification and mitigation is an integral part of the project and key to its overall
success. A preliminary risk analysis was conducted during the Inception Phase and is
presented in the table below:

Potential Risk Impact Description Mitigation

Lack of High The success of the TA
ownership in or hinges on the MoT taking
understanding of ownership of the project and
the scope of the fully supporting its
TA implementation.
Continuity in the High The project will be
MoT’s implemented over a twelve-
management month period and it is
team important that there is
continuity in the management
team as otherwise the
sustainability of results may
be compromised.
Adequacy of the High The project is designed on
technical the assumption that the TA
assistance will be provided straight after
resources to help the commencement of the
improve the project and that the
capacity and consulting team and the
capabilities of Mot’s management team will
Based on our meetings with the senior
management, we believe there is full
ownership of the project. A kick-off
meeting was held with the Minister of
Transport and his key collaborators
during the Inception Phase. During this
meeting the TA team presented the
goals and objectives of the project. The
Minister, in its turn, stated that he will
personally ensure full support from his
department to ensure the success of
this important TA for the development
of the road sector in Tajikistan.
Stability and continuity of management
team continue to be critical to the
success of the TA.
The consulting resources are limited
and must be focused on key areas.
During the Inception Phase it was
unanimously agreed that bulk of
consulting resources should be focused
on improving the current road sector
standards and the institutional reform
38 INCEPTION REPORT

Potential Risk Impact Description Mitigation

the MoT. pool its resources to improve and the financing of the road sector and
the performance of the MoT. this will be reflected in the allocation of
resources from both sides.

Project risks will be monitored throughout the project in consultation with the management
of the MoT.

4.3. REVIEW OF THE TERMS OF REFERENCE

We analyzed and interpreted the ToR’s activities in the light of our recent findings during
the inception period, and we have described our interpretation of activities that should be
performed in order to attain the expected results of the Project.

Task 1: Review of Existing Standards

# Activities per the ToR Analysis and propositions of the TA
Team
1 General overview of and agreed set of key Analysis
standards/specifications which regulate the The TA team has reviewed a number of
road sector in Tajikistan. This should include technical specification for different projects
the standards and specifications used for financed by the IFI’s.
road projects funded by International
Financial Institutions (“IFI”s) and should vary The ADB has its own pavement
by functional classification, traffic volumes specifications which is an adaptation of
and etc. AASHTO1993.

The GUSADs still use SNIP and GOST

standards in implementing repair and
maintenance works. The same is true for the
Survey & Design Institute which functions as
the design office of the MoT.

Other projects designed by international

consulting companies specified a mixed of
AASHTO and SNiP-GOST standards.

Comments
This is a brief activity as the situation has
become clear during the inception period.

2 General overview of the degree to which Analysis

current standards and specifications are
actually used in design and construction and
maintenance (e.g., are standards/
specifications available at works sites, works
offices and engineers can demonstrate that
they know the standards, etc.)
We interviewed engineers at the construction
site of the Khujand-Isfara road. AASHTO and
SNIP-GOST construction standards were
available on site and used by engineers.
GUSAD engineers have knowledge of GOST
and SNIP standards and not any other
standards.

Comments
This is a brief activity as the situation has
become clear during the inception period.
39 INCEPTION REPORT
3 General overview of the institutions which
are involved in setting and enforcing
standards.
4 This review should be placed in the broader
context of the current state of the road
network in Tajikistan, and address the
question of how revisions to road standards
could allow minimization of life cycles costs
5 and to become safer and managed on a
more cost-effective basis.
Analysis
The Tajik Standard Institute is in charge of
setting and enforcing standards on the
national level, but road design and
construction standards are not in their
domain of activity.
Another major player is the “Committee for
Buildings and Architecture under the
Government of Tajikistan”. The Agency has
already adapted a few SNiP standards to the
Tajik condition, but has kept the GOST
standards untouched.
We have asked for an appointment with the
head of the Committee in order to define the
cooperation procedures and the laws or
decrees to be established to invigorate the
new set of Standards.
Comments
After meeting with the Committee for
Buildings and Architecture, we will have a
clearer idea of how to proceed with the
enforcement of standards.
Analysis
During the Inception Period The TA team has
visited a few sections of republican-
international roads in western and northern
Tajikistan.
Propositions
The TA team will propose a set of reforms to
the current way of managing, funding and
monitoring the road network in Tajikistan as
well as the establishment of complementary
road construction, and design standards.
These proposals will assist in reducing total
life cycles costs for road users and the
government in Tajikistan.
Analysis
The TA Team visited sections of recently
rehabilitated roads in north and western
Tajikistan. The safety standards regarding
use of road restraint equipment and marking
and signing are not respected in the majority
of cases.
Propositions
The TA Team will propose Tajikistan specific
design and installation manual for road
restraint devices and signing and marking.
The cost effectiveness of road asset
management will be accounted for.
40 INCEPTION REPORT

6 A key question is how to improve road Analysis

conditions and pavement performance
The introduction of proactive road
maintenance planning as part of road
maintenance sector reforms will contribute
decisively to the improvement of the overall
road network condition and performance.

New innovative materials, new design

methods, and efficient quality control
procedures are the solutions to improve
pavement performance. The mountainous
terrain condition, and the snow fall will be
considered.

Comments
The reform of the road sector organization
and funding, including the creation of an
autonomous road agency and the
establishment of a new standard pavement
catalogue, will help address the road
network’s poor performance issue.

7 The experience in other relevant countries, Analysis

with a similar low funding environment, Experience in other countries with low
should be used to provide alternative models funding environments shows that the
for governing the road sector, and as a basis introduction of sound road management
for estimating the benefits that could be principles and optimized road construction
expected to accrue to Tajikistan from the and maintenance standards present the best
adoption full application of revised way forward in optimizing the scarce road
standards. funding and achieve better performance at
the same time. Experience shows for
instance that privatization of road
maintenance activities could achieve
reduction in road maintenance costs of
around 15-20% while improving road
performance.

Propositions
The lessons learned in other countries with
similar infrastructure and economic
environments, which have conducted
successful reforms of the road sectors, will
be benchmarked and compared to the Tajik
situation to come up with proposals to reform
the road sector in a more sustainable and
effective way.

8 Alternative standards and the procedures in Analysis

place to ensure their full application, which
result in improved road performance in the
selected countries should be identified
wherever possible and their applicability in
Tajikistan established.
Innovative and effective road construction,
maintenance and design standards
internationally that are applicable in the Tajik
environmental, and geotechnical and traffic
conditions will be reviewed and possibilities
of using them as alternative methods will be
assessed.

Propositions
The emphasis in identifying alternative
41 INCEPTION REPORT
The need for minimization of life cycles costs
9 and enhance road safety and to minimize
adverse environmental impacts should be
explicitly considered during this review.
10 Moreover, the geographical conditions and
climate should be taken into account. The
new standards should be most cost effective
and implementable within the country
contexts.
standards and procedures will be put on the
ASSHTO and BS standards which are
already recommended by international banks
such as the ADB, EBRD and the World Bank
for IFI funded projects
Analysis
The TA Team visited many road sections and
noticed no specific measures (runoff catch
basins) for the protection of surface water or
ground water from road related pollutions.
We noticed no specified measures for the
safe crossing of wild animals.
Road user’s safety is another issue that is
not properly addressed in the recently
completed projects.
The minimization of life cycle cost depends
on the introduction of pro-active road
maintenance planning and the innovative
long-life pavement design methods and road
construction and maintenance standards.
These two conditions are not brought
together in the current road sector in
Tajikistan.
Proposition
The TA Team will propose two Guides to
assist with the improvement of road safety in
Tajikistan:
- Guide for consideration of road safety in
Tajikistan.
- Guide for minimizing the environmental
impact of road projects in Tajikistan.
The introduction of innovative road
construction, maintenance and design
standards have already been mentioned in
the above sections.
Analysis
The TA Team has contacted the Tajik
meteorological Agency, the Tajik Geological
Survey and the Tajik Institute of Road
Research, to obtain the necessary data.
Propositions
The TA Team envisages to put in place a
foundation for the Standard Catalogue of
Tajik Pavement. In case of availability of
data, the Catalogue will take account of the
regional climatic and geologic and hydrologic
conditions, especially in the mountainous
areas where specific construction and
maintenance standards will be considered.
Use of local materials and labour intensive
methods will be considered.
42 INCEPTION REPORT
11 Another specific objective is to establish
whether the road standards (Tajik and those
adopted for IFI funded projects), and related
specifications identified for review, take
account of the current best international
practice including European Directive on
Road Safety Management [2008/96/EC],
ISO 39001:2012, recent technological
developments, and whether they allow
engineers sufficient flexibility to develop
flexible, cost-effective treatments
response to different situations (e.g., traffic
levels, geology, availability and cost of raw
materials, etc).
The consultant should also establish whether
12 there is a culture of looking for low cost
alternatives and proposing action when
conditions indicate (given that early action
often means that low cost solutions can be
effective) rather than following the timing
indicated in the standards.
Analysis
The best international practices regarding the
road users’ safety and the European
Directives are not fully considered in the IFI’s
financed projects that we visited or we
reviewed.
Propositions
- The TA Team will propose the Guide for
consideration of road user’s safety in
in
design and rehabilitation of roads,
referring to the best international
practices and in consideration of the
European directives on Road safety
management.
- The TA Team will perform a partial safety
audit of the completed sections of the
Dushanbe-Uzbek Boarder road project,
and will mention all safety related issues
in comparison to the Guide’s
recommendations.
- The TA Team will put the base for the
Standard Catalogue of Tajik Pavements,
in case of data availability the Catalogue
will take account of regional specificities.
Analysis
Our discussion with the local engineers and
professionals revealed that the culture of
looking for optimal (not necessary low cost)
construction or rehabilitation alternatives is
not embedded in practices in the Tajik road
sector. The concept of value engineering is
unknown which if used could allow the
selection of alternatives or solution for
minimizing life cycle costs (construction +
maintenance) and maximizing benefits for
the government and road users.
The use of a tool such as HDM-,4 which is
the de facto international standard for
selecting maintenance solutions, is not
systematic within the government
directorates and MoT organizations. The only
intervening actors that use it without any
supervision are the consultants working
under IFI funding.
Proposition:
The introduction of the culture of assessing
various road construction and maintenance
standards before selecting the most cost-
effective solution will be proposed as part of
the road sector institutional reforms. The use
of HDM-4 by government officials at all levels
of management will be recommended and
encouraged and a professional training on its
43 INCEPTION REPORT
The opportunity should be taken to review
13 possible approaches, such as preventive
maintenance, the increased use of local
materials, recycling of materials, etc, with a
view to lowering road costs and/ or
improving road performance.
Attention must be paid not only to the
14 standards themselves, but to the ways in
which they are managed (updated,
distributed, related technical journals
provided and road sector personnel trained)
and enforced.
use may be provided should the MoT provide
the facilities and designate the recipients of
this knowledge-transfer exercise.
Analysis.
As stated above, the initial analyses of the
current situation with the MoT and GUSADs,
shows that the culture of preventive
maintenance or use of innovative
construction methods, such as recycling in-
situ materials, or high modulus pavement
materials is not common in Tajikistan.
The experience shows that in southern
Tajikistan good quality aggregates are scarce
and it affects quality and cost of road
construction.
The asphalt produced from local materials in
Kumsangir is a good example, research
should be undertaken to treat this asphalt
with additives and improve its performance.
Proposition:
The use of preventive maintenance approach
will be proposed as part of the reform of the
road sector by introducing pro-active road
maintenance planning which will ensure
roads are treated on time to prevent early
failures and hence costly repairs.
JICA sponsored road repairs manual will be
updated to include a wider array of
maintenance solutions, including the
introduction of preventative treatments in
order to delay or avoid early defects such as
cracking, loss of surfacing material or
premature aging of the bitumen.
The new construction and rehabilitation
guides will provide a larger array of
innovative construction solutions and
materials which with the aim to provide better
pavement performance while minimizing
construction and maintenance cost. The
introduction of the long-life pavement
concept (e.g. DMRB UK) for instance is an
interesting one for Tajikistan as it will help
reduce maintenance costs and deal with the
truck overloading situation.
Analysis
- Feedbacks from completed works,
performed according to the new
standards, should be compiled and used
for revisions.
- The MoT should devise a communication
& visibility strategy regarding standards
drafted by the TA Team.
Propositions
44 INCEPTION REPORT

- The MoT should organize a

Standardization Committee to take care
of updates and revisions.

- The MoT should organize a seminar (or

workshops) at the end of this project to
make the standards known to stake
holders (GOUSADs, Contractors,
Consulting Engineers, suppliers, IFIs,
universities, etc.).

- Training sessions will be organized by

the TA Team for MoT engineers.

- The MoT should upload standards

drafted by the TA Team to its web site for
peer review.

- A pilot project can be conducted at the

end of the assignment on a stretch of
Dushanbe-Uzbek boarder road to make it
comply with newly published standards,
on the condition that the MoT accepts to
put up necessary funds in this pilot
project.

Links need to be established between the Analysis

15 standards and the expected performance of - The link will be established after
road pavements, within the overall objective collecting the observed performance
of achieving the most cost-effective data.
treatments.
- Test sections should be scrutinized
yearly to validate design and construction
assumptions.

- This is an area in which the instrumented

MoT van can be put to good use.

Propositions
- The MoT should make its instrumented
van operational as soon as possible.

- The Standardization Committee will

update and fine tune the standards to
achieve the most cost effective solution.

Special attention should be given to the Analysis

16 quality of supervision and inspection - The TA Team will review the current
systems used, and their enforcement. quality control procedures and comment
them.

Propositions
- The MoT should provide standard
procedures for quality control and road
work supervision.

- A standardized ToR will be useful to sign

oversight contracts with consulting
companies. The TA Team can help the
45 INCEPTION REPORT
In addition, the consultants should review
17 procurement policies and rules and their
impact on the ability of MoT to outsource
some of its activities to the private sector.
Based on this review, the consultants should
18 articulate the principles that can be used to -
generate revised standards, or produce
addendums to existing standards, and
assess the benefits which could be expected
from these proposed changes.
The consultants must work closely with MoT
19 to ensure that this phase of the study
addresses the key concerns and objectives
of the Ministry.
20 At the end of Phase 1 the consultants will
prepare a report which will set out (i) their
assessment of the current situation, (ii) the
criteria which should be applied when
revising road standards, (iii) the economic
and other benefits which can be expected
from the adoption of new/revised standards,
and (iv) an assessment of the institutional
and legal regime under which road
standards are currently formulated, adopted
and enforced.
21 The consultant’s Phase 1 report should set
out their detailed proposals for their work
MoT to revise existing ToRs.
Analysis
- The MoT procurement policies are
subject to the laws of the Republic of
Tajikistan.
- The TA Team will review and comment
on procurement policies of the MoT
financed projects.
- The IFI’s active in Tajikistan have their
own procurement policies and will
generally not accept amendments.
Propositions
- The TA Team will review procurement
laws, and will propose amendments if
needed.
Analysis
SNiP codes and GOST standards are
reviewed and updated by the EASC and
the Tajik Committee on Building and
Architecture.
Propositions
- In Phase 1 of our study we will define
principals that will be used to generate
Tajikistan specific standards, design
guides and manuals.
Analysis
- The MoT is understaffed.
- Young engineers are rarely interested in
institutional studies; they generally prefer
road construction projects.
Propositions
- The MoT should do its best to put
together a Standardization Committee.
Analysis
- The current situation became clear
during the inception phase.
- The criteria should be established.
Propositions
- The Phase 1 activity will be brief,
- The Phase 2 activity will be substantial
and should be started as soon as
possible.
Analysis
- The TA Team has already preliminary
46 INCEPTION REPORT

programme for Phase 2, with specific ideas of the standards that should be
reference to the road standards which is redrafted or should be prepared from
proposed should be re-drafted scratch.
Propositions
- The Phase 1 of study will be short to give
enough time to phase 2 which is a
substantial undertaking.

Task 2: Detailed review and revision of standards

# Activities according to the ToR Analysis and propositions of the TA
Team
In Phase 2 the consultants will undertake a Analysis
1 detailed review of the identified road design, - The bulk of review will be done in the
construction, operation, and maintenance Phase 1 of the assignment.
and other standards which were agreed with
MoT during Phase 1. Working closely with Proposition
MoT they will develop amendments to - The existing standards are amended and
existing standards or new standards, as updated by the Committee on Building &
required, which meet the criteria established Architecture, the TA will focus on drafting
during Phase 1 of the study. of complementary standards.
The consultants will additionally develop Analysis
2 associated guidelines and manuals which - The GOST standards & SNiP codes do
explain and elucidate the standards, and the not include guides and manuals.
way it is envisaged that they will be adopted
and enforced. Proposition
- Guidelines and design manuals will be
prepared as needed, AASHTO manuals
will be taken as model.
3 Analysis
Special attention should be given to setting - Rules and philosophies will be discussed
out the philosophies and rules that will lead in the Phase 1 of our assignment.
to needed works being actioned at the right
time and that appropriate treatments are Comment
used. - The issue of timing for the needed works
will be discussed in the pavement design
guide.
4 In addition to the standards themselves the Analysis
consultants will review the legal and After meeting with the Tajik Standards
institutional environment in which road sector Institute, The legal framework for
standards are currently applied and enforced enforcement of standards became clear.
in Tajikistan; assess the effectiveness of this
regime and, where justified, propose Comment
changes designed to optimize the future The subject of effectiveness and
revision, adoption and implementation of enforcement will be discussed with the
new road standards in response to the “Committee on Building and Architecture”
changing needs and circumstances in the
47 INCEPTION REPORT
country.
5 They should also address the question of
how works should be supervised and
managed to achieve higher work quality.
Task 3: Road Sector Financing
# Activities according to the ToR
Task 3 should focus on road sector
1 financing. The consultants will undertake a
detailed review of current road user charge
collection (i.e. all road related revenues
historically) and expenditure by purpose (e.g.
capital expenditure, routine maintenance,
etc.) and assess its adequacy. The
Consultant should focus on the following
dimensions.
The consultant should make
recommendations on road sector financing.
Analysis
We have examined ToRs for supervision
works.
Comment
There is some place for improvement, we will
discuss the subject with the MoT in phase 2
to produce a uniform ToR for supervision
works.
Analysis and propositions of the TA
Team
Analysis:
We have met with the relevant divisions
within the MoT regarding road financing
including the Minister of Transport and other
stake hoders,such as the Economic Analysis
and Forecasting Dept, and the Maintenance
Planning and Evaluation Unit. We also
reviewed existing literature including
Strengthening the Implementation of Road
Maintenance Financing System, TA 4294 -
TAJ, 2007 ADB
The analysis of the current situation shows
that road maintenance is still traditionally
financed by the Government from the
National budget. Under the present system,
all road user charges, including all fees,
taxes and road levies realized from road
transport are deposited in the Government
national treasury.
In this traditional approach, roads are treated
as public goods and not as a public service
or business. They are financed from the
general revenue with little or no connection
between the costs of road provision and the
taxes collected by road users
There is currently no road fund dedicated to
financing road maintenance activities. It was
found that a road fund existed in Tajikistan
48 INCEPTION REPORT

during the 1992-99 period but it was

terminated to meet the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) requirements to
maintain one consolidated State Budget.

All taxes and fees from road users go to the

National Treasury and are under the
jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance, with no
earmarking of funds for road maintenance
financing.

The lack of funding has caused the road

network to accumulate a large backlog of
maintenance work, much of which is
expensive, requiring rehabilitation and
reconstruction.

Propositions

Financing the maintenance of roads in

Tajikistan is an ongoing problem. The
conventional tax sources are likely to
continue generating insufficient resources.
With traditional sources not being any longer
adequate, there is a need to explore
innovative methods to increase revenue and
funding available for road maintenance.
Among innovative methods that will be
explored, include:

- Rationalization of road fee and tax

structures.
- Widening tax base: new taxes such as
passenger and goods tax, tolling, etc.
- Cost reducion strategies through sound
road maintenance management methods

A proposal for the re-institution of a second

generation road fund will be reviewed as part
of this study.

How much the government have collected Analysis

2 and should collect - HDM4 study is helpful if
An HDM-4 economic analysis of 14
it does not exist, and assess funding needs
International Roads and 14 Republican
by road category with different assumptions
Roads, conducted under TA 4294 TAJ
including future expansion
financed by ADB in 2007, indicated a
financial requirement of USD 450 million
providing a net present value to the economy
of USD 940 million.

The literature review so far indicated that the

road user charges collected annually by the
government is not sufficient to satisfy road
maintenance and rehabilitation needs.
Propositions
An HDM-4 strategic analysis will be
conducted to determine the road funding
requirements in terms of recurrent, periodic
and rehabilitation works, this analysis is
49 INCEPTION REPORT
Ideal road user charges – user-pay principle
3 and polluter-pay principle should be
considered
How to allocate funds – through budget,
4 direct allocation, road fund, etc.
subject to the availability of previous HDM-4
workspace used under different TAs notably
TA 4294 TAJ and CAREC Corridor 6.
Analysis:
The literature review indicated that the
current road user charges operated by the
government included:
 Vehicle Purchase and Ownership taxes
 Vehicle Operation taxes
 Road user tax
 Foreign import tax
 Environmental taxes
There is no evidence that the more polluting
vehicles pay more than the less polluting
vehicles.
Propositions
As part of the institutional reform proposal,
the consultant will evaluate the equity of the
current user fee and tax structure and
assesses general options that could
rationalize the process in order to increase
revenue from the existing fees and taxes.
Analysis
The distribution of road maintenance funds in
Tajikistan is based primarily on the mix of
road class categories in each GUSAD.
Factors such as % of damaged roads,
emergency maintenance needs, winter
maintenance are used to adjust the allocation
to reflect any additional need in a GUSAD.
The MoT uses a spreadsheet with features,
which allow managers to factor in the need to
focus more or less on the Republican Road
Network. The method is not rational or
scientific and it is not based on economic
parameters or life cycle cost.
Propositions
The consultant will develop a methodology
for allocating maintenance funds for each
category of road in a more rational and
scientific way based on modern road asset
management principles. The methodology
will provide a process that could be used to
allocate fund for maintenance on priority
basis to maximize the effectiveness of
available funding and minimize cost for the
economy.
50 INCEPTION REPORT

Task 4: Road Sector Institutional Reform Strategy and action plan

# Activities according to the ToR Analysis and propositions of the TA
Team
Establish a sustainable institutional Analysis
1 framework for road maintenance;
The informal interviews with MoT staff and
literature review revealed that conventional
One-Model road management block is still
used in Tajikistan, where the functions of the
owner, administrator, manager and
contractor are performed by state owned
entities. Only major capital works are
outsourced.

Road maintenance and repairs are the

responsibility of 62 maintenance
organizations (GUSAD Subdivision) each
responsible for a network of 75 to 625 Km of
roads.

The present road maintenance system in

Tajikistan is essentially reactive. There is no
forward planning of maintenance geared at
treating defects earlier to avoid expensive
rehabilitation work. Unless there is a change,
the maintenance (routine and' periodic)
planning, to make proactive and prevention,
road maintenance backlog will keep on
increasing and will lead to full unusability of
the road network.

The systems, procedures and standards

presently being used to manage the road
network have not changed for some years.

Propositions.

The consultant will consider the

recommendation of a set of institutional
reforms to align the MoT with the best road
asset management practices as defined in
ISO55000 series. A key reform would be the
creation of a dedicated autonomous Road
Agency with responsibility for the overall
management of the MoT's present road
network. Those responsibilities should
include road network management and
development, as well as preserving and
maintaining the existing road network. This
would represent a major step in the evolution
of the road sector in Tajikistan by moving
from a one-unit model to a two—units model
by separating the functions of administration
from management with the establishment of
accountability in the sector.
51 INCEPTION REPORT

Introduce more commercial approaches to Analysis

2 the management of the road network,
Under the current road sector structure, road
identifying where possible opportunities for
maintenance management presently suffers
greater private sector participation in routine
from the lack of funds and also the ineffective
road maintenance in the expected road
use of the funds, because of outdated
funding environment.
organizational structures, work practices and
maintenance management systems. The
whole system suffers from the following:
 There is presently no dedicated road
department or road agency with full
responsibility for the road network
 The MoT’s road entities are overstaffed
with a high percentage of non-
productive staff;
 Road maintenance units (GUSAD
subdivisions) are responsible for small
network of roads;
 Road data collection systems are still
limited although there are some
interesting acquisitions recently
(Roughness laser measurement
machine and DRIMS).
 There is no modern and rational road
management computerized systems
and access to IT technology is limited;
 Work quality is questionable (from
planning to implementation

Propositions
The consultant will review the outsourcing
possibilities for routine and periodic
maintenance works as an alternative
approach to the existing GUSADs. This does
not mean that the present GUSADs
resources and capabilities would be disposed
of. On the contrary, any road maintenance
privatization solution should be accompanied
by the integration of GUSDAs staff and
facilities in the new arrangement.
Part of the proposed reform to privatization of
road maintenance may include the
introduction of performance-based
contracting as this procedure has proved its
worth around the world. This will involve a
program for contracting out the routine and
periodic works to be carried out for specific
periods of time (e.g.3-5 years).
A number of other institutional reforms will be
considered including the creation of a road
agency; the establishment of a road asset
management system; the creation of road
management and maintenance manuals and
standards (see above), training of
government staff and contractors on modern
road asset management processes and
procedures, etc.
52 INCEPTION REPORT

Hybrid type PBC+BQ contracts can be tried

Identify what level of routine maintenance
3 funding and other incentives will be required
to attract the interest of the private sector in
routine maintenance.
for the purpose of creation and
encouragement of SMEs. In this case
GUSADs can be trained to develop contract
management capacities.
Analysis
As initially stated there has been no proper
strategic analysis to determine the right
funding level for routine or periodic
maintenance to achieve an acceptable level
of service for the Tajik main road network
Past studies indicated that routine
maintenance funding for the RRN is
approximately US$ 1000 per kilometer in
2009, increasing to approximately US$ 1250
range in 2012. Funding for the LRN is
between US$ 250 - 300 per kilometer for the
same period. The average allocation per
GUSAD for the combined RRN and LRN
roads in a GUSAD is likely to be increased
from US$480 to 640 for the same period.
This fact has not been verified as yet.
Funding for periodic maintenance, if
approved, will be between US$ 2.0 and 5.0
million per year.
Propositions
The HDM-4 model will be used to determine
the optimum routine and periodic
maintenance funding levels in the proposed
strategic analysis. This analysis is subject to
the availability of previous HDM-4 workspace
used under different TAs notably TA 4294
TAJ and CAREC Corridor 6.

4.4. ACCOMPLISHED ACTIVITIES

4.4.1. Meetings
The technical Assistance Team met stakeholders of the project during the inception phase,
Total of 25 meetings were held during the inception period the list and date of meetings
are shown with the minutes of important meeting in the Annex 6.1.

4.4.2. Review of completed road projects

To gain an understanding of the standards applied in different road projects, we reviewed
detail design reports of a few road rehabilitation and construction projects which we found
in the Road Survey and Research Institutes’ archives. These include:
- Balchuvon - Dashtimaidan Road Construction Project.
- Bridge Rehabilitation on Dushanbe Chanak Road Project.
- Bridge Rehabilitation on Vose Hovaling Road.
- Dushanbe Khorog Rehabilitation.
- Dushanbe-Kyrgyz border raod rehabilitation project.
- Dushanbe Uzbek border road improvement project.
53 INCEPTION REPORT

- Tolling plaza on KM 321+750 of Dushanbe Chanak road project.

- Dushanbe-Khorog road rehabilitation project.
- Dushanbe- Kyrgyz border road rehabilitation project.

4.4.3. GUSAD Visits

In order to understand the functions and capabilities of different GUSADs, visits and
interviews were organized during the inception period.
We visited the following four GUSAD subdivisions in the region of Republican
Subordination:

- Vahdat GUSAD subdivision

- Norak GUSAD subdivision
- Shahriston GUSAD subdivision
- Tursunzoda GUSAD subdivision

We have visited Sughd Regional GUSAD and five of its subdivisions as follows:

- Ayni GUSAD subdivision

- Istarafshan GUSAD subdivision
- Panjkent GUSAD subdivision
- Konibodom GUSAD subdivision
- Isfara GUSAD subdivision
We plan to visit a few other GUSADs and important GUSAD subdivision during the Phase1
of study.
In this report, we have only analyzed and commented on the situation at Vahdat GUSAD
subdivision, the other GUSADs and their subdivisions will be treated in the GUSAD specific
report after the inception phase

Vahdat GUSAD subdivision

This GUSAD subdivision is one of the most important subdivisions of the Region of
Republican Subordination;

This GUSAD subdivision reports directly to the Dushanbe GUSAD, it has been the recipient
of equipment supplied by the JICA.

This GUSAD has both cold mix and hot mix capabilities, the hot asphalt is bought from the
state owned asphalt plant, the cold mix is prepared on site.

The TA Team visited this GUSAD subdivision on September 6th 2016 and interviewed the
Director Mr Karim RASOULOV.

The table below is the summary of the situation at this GUSAD.

Vahdat GUSAD Subdivision

Summary of Situation
Region (Wilayat): Republican Subordination
Department (Nahiya): Vahdat
Regional filiation: Dushanbe GUSAD
Road network under jurisdiction: International Roads 60 Km
Republican Roads 47 Km
Regional roads 242 Km
Total 349 Km
54 INCEPTION REPORT

Director Mr Karim RASOULOV

Phone: 90 76 36 393
Staff: Engineers: 6
Technicians and operators: 10
Topographic surveyors: 2
CAD operators: 0
Semi-skilled workers: 40
Total: 58
Maintenance work capabilities: Design and drafting None
Topography: Weak
Laboratory testing: None
Surface treatment: None
Hot Mix: Basic
Cold Mix: Basic
Concert works: Weak
Vertical signs: Basic
Road markings: Weak
Earthworks: Weak
Office Equipment: Internet connection 0
Land line 1
Fax device 0
Desktop computers 3
Laptop computers 0
Tracers 0
Printers A3 0
Printers A4 2
Scanners 0
Road maintenance & Equipment:  Asphalt Finisher 1
Asphalt Miller 0
Drum Roller 1
Pneumatic roller compactor 1
Grader 3
Bulldozer 1
Charger 0
Mobile crane 0
Gravel spreader 0
Bitumen sprinkler 1
Truck 14 tons 3
Truck 8 tons 2
Truck 25 tons 1
Semi-trailer tractor 0
Flatbed trailer 0
Concrete Mixer 0
Cold asphalt mixer 1
Compressor & equipment 1
Pavement rotary cutter 1
Mechanical workshop capabilities: Rudimentary
Quality system None
Staff training program None
Annual budget Un-disclosed

TA’s Comments:
This GUSAD has obtained equipment from JICA, but the overall mechanical service &
maintenance capabilities of this GUSAD seems inadequate.

Equipment are serviced on the unpaved open yard, the mechanical workshop seems to
be underequipped and no scheduled maintenance program was available.
55 INCEPTION REPORT

The staff is not trained to work with the lathe machine supplied by JICA, this equipment is
unused lack of a trained technicians.

Pictures taken at Vahdat GUSAD:

56 INCEPTION REPORT

4.4.4. Visit of Road Links

We visited these road links in order to have an idea about the application of standards and
the quality of maintenance:
- Dushanbe to Vahdat road link.
- Vahdat to Norak road link.
- Dushanbe to Shahristan road link.
- Shahristan to Uzbek border road link.
- Dushanbe to Khujend road link.
- Ayni to Panjkent road link
- Khujand to Isfara road link.
During our site visits we have observed serious road user safety issues that we envisage to
further develop and treat in the first phase of the assignment, these issues are:
57 INCEPTION REPORT

- Substandard road equipment (signing, marking and restraint devices).

- Road users’ safety, not always a priority in design and construction.
- Low level of concern for the environmental protection (Especially protection of wild
fauna and surface water pollution).
- Serious maintenance shortcomings.
4.4.5. Private and public sector survey
The TA Team envisages to prepare a mapping of the private sector in the later phases of
the study, for the inception phase we had the occasion of interviewing two construction
companies and one consulting engineers company:
Kupruksozi Peyvand (Paywand Bridge Construction Company)
We interviewed the managing director Mr Mirza Shirelievitch on September 22nd 2016.

This company was initially state owned, the company was founded in 1965, it was under
the stewardship of the Ministry of Transport till it was privatized in 2004.

This is a mid-sized company with a staff of 50 persons, which comprises 2 engineers and
16 technicians.

The company has capabilities in bridge works (steel and concrete), earthworks and
unpaved roads and road drainage works.

Since 2004 the company has been awarded a few bridge construction projects, the most
important was a steel decked suspended bridges constructed on the Panj River.

This bridge which is nearly 100m long provides the link between Tajikistan and Afghanistan,
the project was financed by the Agha Khan Foundation and the contracting authority was
the Tajik Ministry of Agriculture.

This company has not any important construction work right now, to keep the staff occupied
the company has accepted the construction of a high school in the Roudaki District, the
client is the Rudaki District Government.

The annual company turn-over during the past ten years was less than 1 Million USD per
year.

The majority of the equipment owned by the company is more than thirty years old, and are
sourced from the FSU.

The company director was very enthusiastic about performance based road and bridge
maintenance contracts; they are specially interested in the Rudaki District’s maintenance
works.

Equipment Directorate N° 3
This company is a heritage of FSU system of organization of state owned companies, there
were three equipment Directorate in Tajikistan at the time of Soviet Union, they were all
founded in1967 in order to construct planned projects of the central planning agency of the
Soviet Union in the domains of buildings and roads.

Since 1992 the Equipment Directorates has been privatized, the majority shareholder is the
Ministry of Construction who detains 51% percent of shares and private parties detain the
rest.
In the recent years the main clients of this company have been municipalities, the United
Nations and they have also done subcontracting works.
58 INCEPTION REPORT

The main type of works performed was, Dushanbe Airport Runway overlay (with a French
Company), Dushanbe to Rudaki District Road (22 Km), urban streets in Dushanbe,
Dushanbe Hospital, river protection works, buildings, sport complexes and short span
bridges.

The total staff working at this company is around 300 persons, of whom 12 are engineers
and managers and 30 skilled technicians and operators, the rest are semi-skilled workers.

Right now this company has no pending construction contract, its cash flow is based on
equipment rentals to private contractors.

Autostrada LLC
This consulting engineers company is founded in 1996 by some of faculty members of the
Technical University of Dushanbe.

Since 1997 this company has designed and supervised many road and bridge projects in
Tajikistan.

The ADB financed projects Khowling-Vassé (86Km) was detail designed by this company in
association with the Australian SMEC.

The Shourabad-Shorgon was designed and supervised by this company in Association with
the Lebanese company SPECTRUM.

The main client of this company is the municipality of Dushanbe, many urban boulevards in
Dushanbe were designed and supervised by this company.

The staff is around 70, of whom 56 are engineers and the rest are technicians and
supporting staff.

The company is equipped with the necessary design softwares like CAD Civil 3D and LIRA
structural design software.

The company owns its own headquarter building and materials laboratory that can perform
essential tests on asphalt and concrete.

Technical University of Dushanbe

This is the only higher education institution in Tajikistan which provides undergraduate and
graduate degrees on Highways and Airports Engineering.

Nearly all of the MoT engineers have obtained their degree in this university, the university
has currently 35 undergraduate students (four-year cursus), and 14 graduate students (6-
year cursus).

The pedagogic material is in Russian and books supplied to students or available in the
library are in Russian and also are sourced from the Russian Federation.

Only GOST standards and SNiP construction codes are promoted in this university, the
students and faculty members have scant knowledge of other standards.

There is a small materials laboratory available and operational, which had some
commercial activities for state owned companies in the past, but right now the laboratory
functions exclusively on research projects of graduate students.
59 INCEPTION REPORT

Agency of Standardization, Metrology, Certification & Trade Inspection under the

Government of the Republic of Tajikistan “TAJIKSTANDARDS”
This Agency is founded in 2007, the agency existed before this date but was under the
stewardship of the Ministry of Economy.

This Agency does not create any new standards, it only manages and updates existing
standards, which are exclusively FSU sourced GOST standards updated by the EASC.

This agency is specialized in consumer products but also manages standards on

construction materials, and performs certification. There are subsidiaries situated in all
regions of Tajikistan, overall the Agency employs more than one thousand persons.

The agency owns a modest testing laboratory in Qorgonteppeh, but the bulk of testing for
certification is outsourced.

The Agency does not manage SNiP construction codes, this task is transferred to the
Committee on Building and Architecture under the Government of Tajikistan..

4.5. PREPARATION OF THE INCEPTION REPORT

During the Inception Phase, we have performed the following main activities:
1. Project Kick off Meeting
2. Review of the Terms of Reference
3. Stakeholders Analysis and Consultation
4. Identification of project risks
5. Defining milestones and indicators
6. Review of the output of recent technical assistance projects
7. Preparation of the Inception Report
This Inception Report includes a general programme for the TA duration and a detailed
work plan for the first three months. Once it is approved by the MoT and the EBRD, the
progress of the TA will be monitored and judged against the objectives and milestones
specified in the Inception Report.
The General Programme and the detailed first 3-month period are provided in next Chapter.
60 INCEPTION REPORT

5. PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS

This section confirms the TA team structure, resources and provides the General
Programme and Detailed first 3-month period.

5.1. TEAM STRUCTURE

The management and team structure for the project is shown below, which was revised
during the inception phase:
Figure 5.1: Project Management and Team Structure

During the inception phase one change were made to the international team by introducing
a new Highway Engineer. The change was approved by EBRD and MoT.

5.2. PROJECT RESOURCES

A total of 740 working days of input is provided comprising of 420 of international experts
and 320 of national experts.
Table 1: Consultant Days

Consultant Nationality Position Days Input

Medard Pourashraf French Team Leader 200

Ruslan Nazmiev Tajik Deputy Team Leader 220
Evguini Startsev Russian Highway Engineer 130
Akli Ourad British Transport economist and institutional Expert 90
T.B.A Tajik Transport Lawyer 100

Total 740
61 INCEPTION REPORT

5.3. UPDATED WORK PLAN AND DELIVERABLES

The Technical Assistance services will be provided over the 12-month period. The first
three months of the project will concentrate on putting in place the foundation necessary for
the preparation and the activities planned are shown in the following pages.
This inception report is prepared to answer the overall objectives, purpose and expected
results, as enumerated in the Terms of Reference (ToR). The implementation of the project
is centred on the execution of four main tasks in three phases:
Phase 1:
Task 1 – Review of existing standards

Phase 2:
Task 2 – Detailed Review and Revision of Standards

Phase 3
Task 3- Road Sector Financing
Task 4- Road Sector Institutional Reform and Action Plan

The proposed work programme is prepared during the Inception Phase and refined to align
it with the priorities of the MoT as outlined during the Project Kick off Meeting in presence
of the Minister.
The project deliverables with respective planned dates of submission are as follows:

Project Deliverables
N° Document title Planned
Submission date
1 Draft Inception Report October 03rd 2016
2 Inception Report November 03rd 2016
3 Report on Principles for Drafting New Road Design Standards December 30th 2016
4 Report on the Institution of a Road Agency November 30th 2017
5 Report on GUSADs December 30th 2017
6 Report on the Introduction of a Commercial Approach April 15th 2017
7 Report Road Sector Institutional Reform Strategy and Action Plan May 22nd 2017
8 Draft Final Report June 15th 2017
9 Final Report August 01st 2017

In the following pages, we have updated our 12-month general work plan (was included
initially in our technical proposal) and also we have provided a detailed and thematic 6-
month work plan.
62 INCEPTION REPORT

Tajikistan :Review of Road Standards and Road Secteur Institutional Reform

Six Month Work Plan
Activity 2016 2017
October November December January February March
Visit and analysis Dushanbe-Uzbek border road
GUSAD Visit, Republican Subordination
Inception report presentation & finalisation
GUSAD visit, Khatlon region
Review of SNiP Code "Auto Roads"
Review of BCH Guide Flexible pavements
Editing the report on the Road Agency
Editing the GUSAD Report
Establishing principals of drafting new Standards
Private sectror mapping
Review of BCH Guide Bridge & Culverts
Review of GOST & SNIP road signs and marking
Review of GOST & SNIP road restraint systems
Presentation to the MoT and stakeholders
Compiling signing & Marking design guide
Compiling Geometric Design Standards
Drafting Geometric Design Standards
Compiling Pavement Design Guide
Drafting Pavement Design Guide
Drafting Road Equipment Design Guide
Presentation to the MoT and stakeholders
Report on Commercial approach to Maintenance

New Year Nowrouz Holidays

Holidays
63 INCEPTION REPORT

Updated 12 month work plan

MONTH FROM START OF THE ASSIGNMENT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Inception Phase

Phase 1 - Review of Existing Standards

Phase 2 - Detailed Review and Revision of Standards

Phase 3 - Sector financing and Institutional Reform

PROJECT CONTRACTUAL DELIVERABLES MONTH FROM START OF THE ASSIGNMENT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Inception Report
Report on Principles for Drafting New Road Design Standards
Report on the Institution of a Road Agency
Report with Revised Design Standadrds and Proposals for their Implementation
Report on the GUSADs
Report on the Introduction of a more Commercial Approach
Report Road Sector Institutional Reform Strategy and Action Plan
Draft Final Report
Final Report
64 INCEPTION REPORT

Staff Mobilization Planning

Tajikistan :Review of Road Standards and Institutional Reform

Staff mobilization planning
YEAR 2016 2017 Days Worked
MONTH August September October November December January February March April May June July
Team Leader 30 Days 40 Days 50 Days 60 Days 20 Days 200
Highway Engineer 30 Days 40 Days 50 Days 10 Days 130
Economist 5 Days 5Days 10 Days 10 Days 10 Days 15 Days 15 Days 15 Days 5Days 90
Deputy TL 100 Days 50 Days 50 Days 20 Days 220
Jurist 20 Days 20 Days 20 Days 20 Days 20 Days 100

Draft Inception Report New Year Nowrouz Holidays Draft Final Final Report
Inception Report Holidays Report
6- ANNEXES
List of Important Meetings
Date Entity/Participants Purpose of the meeting
19 August 2016 MoT, Foreign Investment Cooperation Unit, Project start requirements.
Mr Olim Yatimov Logistics and perspectives
23 August 2016 MoT, Road Construction & Maintenance Data Request
Dept., Mr Noureddine Ghorbanov Planning of GUSAD visits
24 August 2016 EBRD, Mr Rahmonberdiev & Ms Solieva Courtesy meeting
25 August 2016 MoT, Economic Analysis, Forecasting Dept. Data Collection
Ms Shoyeste Saidmoradeva
26 August 2016 MoT, Maintenance Planning, Evaluation Unit Data collection
Mr Abdollah Ziazadeh
29 August 2016 MoT, Road Construction Unit, Mr Allaeddin Data Collection
Enayatshaov
30 August 2016 The Road Research Institute, Mr Olimjon Data Collection
Kholdorof
31 August 2016 MoT, Minister & head of MoT departments Project Kickoff meeting
1 September MoT Data collection
2016 Road Research Laboratory Testing capabilities
Nina Pavlovna Kharlamova
2 September Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Data Collection
2016 Tajikistan, Construction sector activities
Ms Monzura Rostamova Akramovna
5 September Tajikistan Geological Survey Geological Map
2016 Rahmonbek Dolatbekowitch Bakhdolatov Seismic map
6 September Vahdat GUSAD Subdivision Data collection
2016 Norak GUSAD Subdivision Operational Issues
Mr Karm Rasulov of Vahdat
Mr Safar Saidov of Norak
7 September Shahrino GUSAD Subdivision Data Collection
2016 Tursunzoda GUSAD Subdivision Operational Issues
Mr Ibodollo Rustamov of Shahrino
Mr Subhonkulov Tursunzoda
14 September Ayni GUSAD Subdivision Data collection
2016 Panjkent GUSAD Subdivision Operational issues
Mr Ismatolloh Sattar of Ayni
Mr Fakhreddin Alibeykev of Panjekent
15 September Istarafshan GUSAD Subdivision Data collection
2016 Khujand GUSAD Subdivision Operational issues
Mr Sabourov Nouman of Istarafshan
Ms Hajera Latifi of Khujand
16 September Konibodom GUSAD Subdivision Data collection
2016 Isfara GUSAD Subdivision Operational issues
Mr Karimjon Samiev of Konibodom
Mr Khallagh of Isfara

16 September PIU Supervision staff on Isfara-Khujand Road Applied Standards, scope of

2016 Rehabilitation Project. project, local materials,
Mr Ilham Omarov, MoT supervision staff laboratory testing.
Mr Maulan Omarov, MoT supervision staff
Mr Karimov Ghorban, Corean Consultant.
22 September Payvand Bridge Construction Company Accomplished Projects
2016 Mr Mirzaievich , Director Ongoing projects
Technical capabilities
Financial capabilities
23 September Equipement Directoratye N°3 Accomplished Projects
2016 Mr Bakhtiar Abishzoda, Director Ongoing Projects
Mr Iraj Mirza, Contract Manager Technical Capabilities
Financial Capabilities
23 September LLC Autostrada , Accomplished Projects
2016 Mr Usmon Sidikov, Director Ongoing Projects
Technical Capabilities
Financial Capabilities
26 September IT Department of the MoT Traffic counts
2016 Interview with the Head of Department Data collection
Mr Sohrab YAKOUBZODA Electronic archives

27 September The Legal Department of the MoT Laws on Transport

2016 Interview with the head of department Laws on Standards
Mr Zafar HAFIZOV Data collection
27 September GAYUR SLLC Accomplished Projects
2016 Interview with Managing Director Ongoing Projects
Mr Ahleddin KARIMOV Technical Capabilities
Financial Capabilities
28 September, Dushanbe Technical University Technical cursus
2016 Interview with the Dean of Highway and Standards promoted
Airport Engineering Department. Laboratory equipment
Mr Anwar BERDIEV Research Projects
Internship
29 September The Agency of Standardization, Metrology, Domain of activities
2016 Certification & Trade Inspection under the Updating procedures
Government of the Republic of Tajikistan. Relations with CIS standards
Interview with Ms Karomat Nazari
SAIDZODA
Deputy Director
6-1- MINUTES OF IMPORTANT MEETINGS

EBRD Project
Review of Road Standards
Road Sector Institutional Support

Minutes of Meeting
Saturday August 20th 2016
Dushanbe, Ministry of Transport

Editing and reporting by: Medard POURASHRAF

Participant Title e-mail address

mobile Phone

Mr Olim Yatimov Head of the Department on yatimovrt@mail.ru

Cooperation with Foreign Investment, 93 980 00 23
Ministry of Transport

Mr Medard Pourashraf Pourashraf1@gmail.co

Team Leader, Corporate Solutions m
90 788 7725

Mr Evgueni Startsev
Highway Engineer, Corporate evgstartsev@gmail.com
Solutions 90 788 7728
Mr Fazliddin Odinaev
joff_85@mail.ru
Logistics , Corporate Solutions 93 414 9697

Distribution Title E-mail address

Mr Ebby Adhami Project Director, Corporate Solutions Ebby.adhami@cscl.biz

Mr Akli Ourad Economist, Corporate Solutions aourad@hotmail.co.uk

Purpose of the meeting

 This was the first meeting held after the mobilization of the Technical Assistance Team on August
18th2016.
The main purpose of this meeting is to discuss methods of collection of the necessary data for the
inception phase of the Project.

The following subjects were discussed and follow-up actions were proposed.

1- Review of SNIP standards

The Technical Assistance Team is in possession of the complete collection of SNIP standards on
electronic support; however it will be appreciated if the MoT can lend paper copies of available standards
to the Team.

2- MoT Archives
The Technical Assistance Team wishes to obtain clearance for access to the paper and electronic
archives of the MoT, in order to be able to retrieve all past reports and documents pertaining to applied
standards and road maintenance.

Mr Kurbonov N. and Mr Yatimov O. will support.

3- Research Design and Survey Institute

The Research Design and Survey Institute is already operational and is part of the MoT organization.
This Institute has provided some technical recommendations, which should be taken into consideration
by the Technical Assistance Team.

Mr Yatimov O. will organize a meeting with the head of the 1-Research Design and Survey Institute, Mr
Olim Kholdorov and his deputy Mr Mohamed Rasoul Rafie.

4- Laws governing the Transport Sector

The Team needs the information and relevant laws in the transport sector, particularly law regulating axle
loads and truck and trailer dimensions and clearances.

Mr Saidzoda K. and Mr Yatimov O. will obtain the required information.

5- Transport Faculty of the Tajik Technical University

This Department is equipped with materials laboratory instruments and has already done research and
control assignments for the MoT.

The Team will be introduced to this Department by the MoT.

6- Mapping of the private construction sector

In order to propose a realistic reform program for the road maintenance the Team should interview the
major private road contractors, construction materials suppliers and engineering service providers in
Tajikistan.

The introduction will be done through the Chamber of Commerce of Tajikistan.

A letter of introduction will be provided by the MoT.

7- Visit of road construction sites

The Team would benefit from visiting selected important construction sites, especially the Dushanbe-
Uzbek border road.

The Mot will propose a visit.

8- Visit of GUSAD maintenance and operation sites
GUSADs are an important component of any road maintenance reform program, the Team needs to
acquire a thorough understanding of the functions and capabilities of these regional agencies.
 The MoT will choose a number of GUSADs to be visited and will propose a program.

9- Social and Economic data

These data will be received from the Agency on Statistics under the President of the Republic of
Tajikistan; the Team will list the required reports.

The MoT will provide a letter of introduction.

10- Map of Tajikistan

A large scale map of Tajikistan is needed to produce the classified road network map, this map is
available at the Agency for Land Management, Geodesy and Cartography (ALMGC)

The MoT will provide a letter of introduction.

11- Existing Road database

A road network database was initiated by the Intercontinental Consultants and Technocrats Pvt Ltd. Of
India in 2008 under an ADB grant.
The project is titled: “Strengthening Implementation of Road Maintenance Funding System”
The hard discs containing network data might not be available any more.

Mr Yatimov O. made available the paper copy of five progress reports to the Team.

12- Tajikistan Geological survey

The geological survey of Tajikistan is needed for the road construction materials availability assessment
and to establish the seismic acceleration map of Tajikistan, The survey can be obtained from the Main
Department of Geology under the Government of Tajikistan.

The MoT will provide introduction letter for the Team.

13- Rainfall and flood statistics

Rain fall statistics are needed to define standards and guidelines for drainage design of roads and
bridges, these data can be found at the Tajikistan National Agency for Hydrometeorology.
The MoT will provide the introduction letter.

14- Participation of the MoT staff

Two of the MoT staff will cooperate with the Team on all necessary questions.

15- Documents handed over by Mr Yatimov O.

Mr Yatimov O. made available to the Team the following documents:

On electronic Support
- Strengthening Implementation of Road Maintenance Funding System (ADB, 2008)
Volume 1 to Volume 5;
- Power Point Presentation of Transport Sector Results for year 2015.
- Summary of International investments in Tajikistan (2016)
- Road sector investments and projects in Tajikistan (2016)
- Legal status of the Ministry of Transport. (2011)

On paper support:
- Asian Highways 2004 (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific)
- SNIP Standards (Revisions 81, 01, 2017).
- Construction Norms Tajikistan for reception of finished work.
- Laws of Republic of Tajikistan (Procurement of goods and services 2012)
 EBRD Project
Review of Road Standards
Road Sector Institutional Support

Minutes of Project Kick-Off Meeting

Wednesday August 31th 2016
Dushanbe, Ministry of Transport

Editing and reporting by: Medard POURASHRAF

Participant Title e-mail address

Ministry of Transport

Mr Sherali Rahmon Ganjalzoda Minister

Mr Rustam Valizoda
Mr Nuriddin Kurbonov
Mr Kurbon Saidzoda
Ms Shoista Saidmurodova
Mr Kholboi Saidov
Mr Olim Yatimov
Mr Olimjon Kholdorov
Deputy Minister
Road Construction and Maintenance rshr@mintrans@tj
Dept. mr@mintrans.tj
Inland Transportation Dept. shoista75@mail.ru
Economic analysis & forecasting Dept. pigprojcoord@gmail.co
Project Implementation Group m
Foreign Investment Cooperation Unit yatimovrt@mail.ru
Road Research, Design and Survey olimjonkholdorov@mail.r
Institute. u

Corporate Solutions
Consulting
Mr Medard POURASHRAF Team Leader, pourashraf1@gmail.com
Mr Evgueny STARTSEV Highway Engineer, evgstartsev@gmail.com
Mr Fazliddin ODINAEV Logistics, joff_85@mail.ru

Distribution Title E-mail adress

Mr Ebby Adhami Project Director, Corporate Solutions Ebby.adhami@cscl.biz

 The main purpose of this meeting was to present the overall subject of the assignment, the tasks
to be undertaken by the Technical Assistance Team, and also to obtain general guidelines from
the Ministry.

After Power Point presentation by the Technical Assistance Team, the following orientations and
conclusions were announced:

1- Mr Rustam Valizoda is in charge of coordination between the MoT staff and the Technical
Assistance Team.

2- All of MoT departments should cooperate and interact with the Technical Assistance Team in
all phases of the assignment.

3- This assignment is only a foundation work and will certainly not address all issues related to
standards and road sector reforms.

4- New standards cannot be implemented unless they have the force of law, the process of
amending existing laws will be long, the necessary measures should be undertaken by the
MoT as soon as the phase 2 of the assignment is completed.

5- All international and regional conventions signed by the Republic of Tajikistan in the transport
sector should be accounted for, not any standard will be accepted if it is in contradiction with
signed conventions.

6- The Technical Assistance Team should research the current and future standards in the CIS
countries, compatibility of standards with those of the CIS countries and in particular with
neighboring countries should be sought.

7- Of particular importance are methods of pavement design which must apply heavier truck axel
loads of the Post-Soviet era, serious consideration should be given to the AASHTO method of
pavement design.

8- The Team should consider CAREC program which extends up to 2030, of special interest are
the road user safety issues treated in the CAREC program.

9- The Road sector reform proposals should take into account the social and economic
characteristics of different regions.
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