A 62-meter flagpole to be installed on the site of the Tashkent Coat of Arms monument near Tashkent's Northern Railway Station

Project near the Northern Railway Station

On a section of Taras Shevchenko Street near the Northern Railway Station — between the former Tashkent Coat of Arms monument and the monument to the Karakalpak poet Berdakh — landscaping of a pedestrian promenade area has begun. On November 3, Mirabad district mayor Anvar Sayfutdinov held a public hearing here, where he presented the project to residents and answered their remarks, reports Gazeta.

What will appear on the site of the Kopeyka

The monument depicting hands holding a round disk with the capital's coat of arms existed from 1996 to 2018 and was popularly known as the Kopeyka. After its demolition, without any explanation, its pedestal stood empty all these years. Now a 62-meter flagpole with the state flag of Uzbekistan will be installed on this site, and a fountain will be built behind it. According to the authorities' plan, this will become a visual calling card for passengers and tourists arriving at the Northern Railway Station. When residents asked about restoring the Kopeyka, the mayor answered negatively.

Project parameters

The total area to be landscaped will be 30,975 sq. m, of which 2,770 sq. m will be allocated for greenery. The project provides for planting 228 shrubs, renewing sidewalk paving and lighting, and installing benches, some with canopies. The greenery will be watered with pumps drawing water from the Salar canal. There will be no capital construction — only landscaping, the mayor promised. Sections of the roadway on both sides of the alley will remain, and instead of the chaotic parking along the street, a paid parking lot will be organized. Between the two bridges over the canal, a zone with fountains, stepped terraces, and rest areas will be landscaped; the existing fountain closer to Nukus Street will be reconstructed. The facades of residential buildings along the street are also planned to be renovated and brought to a unified style.

Kiosks and maintenance

Ten commercial kiosks will appear on the street. According to the mayor, the spots will be leased through an auction for a period of five years for selling coffee, tea, juices, and ice cream; restaurants and other catering establishments are not planned. Rental income will be transferred to the street management directorate and used for cleaning, lighting costs, and routine repairs of landscaping elements.

Timeline and context

The reconstruction of the section is planned to be completed within two months. By the end of November, work is also scheduled to finish on another stretch of Shevchenko Street — from Fidokor Street to Shakhrisabz Street. In 2024, the first stretch, 300 m long between Nukus and Fidokor streets, was reconstructed: it is closed to cars and became the first promenade zone of its kind in the capital. The area around the Berdakh monument will also be landscaped.

Residents' questions

One participant of the hearing suggested organizing an at-grade pedestrian crossing from the station building to the future promenade area: at present, arriving passengers can cross the street only via an underpass, and the nearest crosswalks are far away. The mayor replied that the district administration cannot make such a decision on its own and will discuss the matter with the Traffic Management Center. Residents also complained about chaotic parking on sidewalks and expressed concern that after the paid parking is introduced, cars will flood their courtyards, as has happened in other parts of the capital. According to Anvar Sayfutdinov, until this problem is resolved at the city level, residents will not be required to dismantle their existing barriers.