Construction starts on $2.3B highway across Turkmenistan

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — Construction has started in Turkmenistan on a four-lane highway across the gas-rich ex-Soviet nation.

The $2.3 billion project is designed to link Turkmenistan's capital of Ashgabat, the largest city in Central Asia and located not far from Iran's northern border, to Turkmenabat near the border with Uzbekistan.

Government newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan said Friday that the highway will stretch across 600 kilometers (372 miles) of desert.