BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, November 25. Kyrgyzstan plans to open an alternative North-South road in the spring of 2025, Beknazar Bazaraliyev, the country’s deputy minister of transport and communications, said, Trend reports.
Bazaraliyev made the statement during a presentation of the ministry's results to the "Mekenchil" parliamentary group. He emphasized the completion of over 90 percent of the construction work on the alternative route.
The conversation meandered through the landscape of future endeavors, touching upon the monumental tapestry of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway's impending creation. At the same time, MP Daniyar Tolonov raised concerns about the state of internal roads, stressing the need to prioritize repairs and the development of regional roads alongside large-scale infrastructure projects.
Kunduzbek Sulaymanov, the head of the "Mekenchil" parliamentary group, pointed out issues related to the Road Fund and suggested transferring all internal roads and bridges to the Ministry of Transport and Communications for better management.
The new North-South road will stretch 433 km, connecting the towns of Balykchy and Jalal-Abad. The road will serve as a transport corridor, connecting the northern and southern regions of the country, replacing the existing Bishkek-Osh highway. The Ministry of Transport and Communications initiated the first phase of the project in 2014, with full financing from the Export-Import Bank of China. The estimated cost of the project is around $1 billion.