Afghan president Hamid Karzai and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmonov have laid the foundation stone for a bridge crossing the river bordering their countries. Rizzani de Eccher is contractor for the US-funded structure. Work on the 670m-long bridge will begin in earnest in the autumn when the water level lowers. The US$29 million crossing is intended to boost ties between Afghanistan and Tajikstan as well as opening up access to neighbouring areas such as Russia and the Persian Gulf.