Construction of the very first highway in Mongolia, which leads to the new international airport from Ulaanbaatar, has officially commenced last Friday. Prime Minister Ch.Saikhanbileg delivered opening remarks at the ceremony for commencing construction of the highway linking the capital Ulaanbaatar and the new international airport in Khushig Valley, Tuv Province. In his opening remarks, the Prime Minister said this project is a new milestone in the history of infrastructure and roads sectors of Mongolia. “From 1938 to 2012, a total of 2,964 kilometers of paved roads were constructed, while a total of 3,405 kilometers of roads have been built from 2012 until today,” highlighted Prime Minister Ch.Saikhanbileg. He added that 1,535 kilometers of roads and 1,346 kilometers of concrete bridges are expected to open this year. “This highway will be the very first highway in Mongolia and it will connect the capital city and the new international airport, becoming one of the most travelled roads. The construction of the highway to the new airport will open a new chapter in the development of the Mongolian roads sector, bringing new standards and technologies,” noted Ch.Saikhanbileg. The highway construction is being executed as the part of the roads construction project in three directions, which has been agreed to be executed through a 500 million USD soft loan from the government of China. According to the feasibility study, the 30.4 kilometer, two-way highway will have six lanes. Funded through a soft loan from the Exim Bank of China, the construction works will be executed by the China TIESIJU Civil Engineering Group. The highway is expected be commissioned in July 2018. Present at the ceremony were S.Bayartsogt, Head of the Cabinet Secretariat for Government; M.Zorigt, Minister of Road and Transportation; Gao Hucheng, Chinese Minister of Commerce; Xin Haiming, Ambassador of China to Mongolia; and other high-level officials.