Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Baktyluu Momobekov spoke about infrastructure development plans during the 'Ala-Too' deputy group meeting of the Jogorku Kenesh on November 12. According to him, work is currently underway with the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, but the financing process from international organizations takes a long time.
Route options and design timelines
Due to lengthy procedures in international banks, the department has decided to accelerate the process. As the deputy minister reported, the preparation of a feasibility study (FS) alone at a bank can take 9 months, after which another year will be required for the project itself. In this regard, funds were allocated from the budget, and the task was assigned to a specialized design institute, which is expected to prepare the documentation within a maximum of one year.
To minimize damage to residents, two routes for the road are being considered: widening the current pavement or constructing a bypass of populated areas. This will help avoid mass demolition of residential houses.
"It takes two to three hours to get from Uzgen to Osh"
Deputy Azamjan Jalilov noted that in the Uzgen district, residential houses had already been demolished for the future four-lane road, yet actual construction has not yet begun.
Temporary measures on other sections
Before the launch of the large-scale project, temporary measures to combat traffic jams are planned for the Osh—Manas highway this spring. The experience of Novopokrovka, where shoulders were widened using old asphalt, is cited as an example. Additionally, construction of the Novopokrovka—Kant section has begun this year.
Context
The length of the Osh—Uzgen road is approximately 50 km. For comparison, reconstruction work was previously carried out on 52.5 km of the section from Bishkek to Kara-Balta, which was about 52 km long.
