The United States has earmarked $12 million for construction of a bridge over the Pyandzh River between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, according to the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe. The bridge is expected to help in the economic integration of the Central Asian region by making possible the establishment of new trade routes. The project is reported to be the result of discussions among the U.S., Tajik, Afghan, Russian, and Norwegian governments. According to the embassy, a group of U.S. Army engineers has arrived in Tajikistan to study possible locations for the bridge, which will be the first to link the two countries across the Pyandzh. Construction is expected to start this fall. (RIA-Novosti)