ASHGABAT -- A bridge carrying both a railway and a highway over the Amu Darya River has been completed in Turkmenistan's eastern Lebap Province, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports.
The bridge stretches for 1,414 meters and connects the towns of Atamurat (formerly known as Kerki) and Kerkichi.
Many experts consider it the greatest bridge in the region and is reportedly the "most complex and strategic construction project" in Turkmenistan.
The project cost some $123 million and was constructed by the Ukrtransstroy Bridge Building Corporation of Ukraine.
Amanmyrat Bugaev, an independent observer in Ashgabat, told RFE/RL that the people in the region have long waited for the project to be completed.
He said construction of the bridge began under President Saparumurat Niyazov, who died in 2006.