New Transit Bridge Connects Iran to Turkmenistan

Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami and his Turkmen counterpart Gandymov Rahim Nurgeldiyevich jointly inaugurated Sarakhs Transit Bridge on the border of two countries through videoconference on Monday. 
The construction of the 96-meter-long, 15-meter-wide transit bridge, which connects the city of Sarakhs in Iran with its namesake in Turkmenistan through the Tajan River started in the year ending March 2016 as per an agreement signed in Tehran on Nov. 22, 2015, in a ceremony attended by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. 
According to Eslami, the bridge would facilitate the movement of 1,000 vehicles per day. 
“The two-way bridge would play a key role in improving trade between Tehran and Ashgabat while it would also pave the way for the implementation of Ashgabat Agreement and help Iran expand its economic ties with Central Asia countries,” he was quoted as saying by Fars News Agency.  
Iran and Turkmenistan are members of Ashgabat Agreement—a multimodal transport agreement signed in 2011, which envisages the facilitation of transit and transportation of goods between Central Asia and Persian Gulf.
The opening of Sarakhs Bridge comes as Iran and Turkmenistan have yet to fully open their borders after more than three months of closure, following the outbreak of coronavirus.
Eslami said, “We hope to see rail and road transportation resume at three border crossings of Sarakhs, Lotfabad and Inchehborun between Iran and Turkmenistan as soon as possible. Iran is all set to exchange views about new transportation projects with other Central Asian countries, particularly Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.”