Bishkek—Kara-Balta highway reconstruction cost Kyrgyzstan $92 million

10:36, 07 октября 2025, Bishkek - 24-kg.com news agency , Nurzhamal GANYEVA

The project on reconstruction of the strategic Bishkek — Kara-Balta highway, part of the CAREC (Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation) corridor, cost the Kyrgyz Republic over $92 million (including a $68.5 million loan and a $9.5 million grant). Nurmat Kalmurzaev, a road engineer of the Asian Development Bank’s Project Implementation Group at the Ministry of Transport of Kyrgyzstan, told 24-kg.com news agency during a tour of ADB projects.

According to him, the majority of this amount, raised through the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is a debt obligation of the republic. «Construction of the 52.5-kilometer section was completed in 2024. The work included widening the highway to 4-6 lanes, construction of six new bridges, and reconstruction of seven pedestrian underpasses,» Nurmat Kalmurzaev noted.

He added that the main result of the highway reconstruction project was not only an 18 percent reduction in traffic accidents (data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic), but also the legislative reform introduced in accordance with ADB requirements.

«The key document that enshrined this requirement in law was resolution No. 525 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic dated August 26, 2025, which made road safety audits (RSA) a mandatory procedure for all highways. Thus, a $92 million debt resulted not only in a new road but also in a new law requiring all road construction in the country to meet high safety standards,» Nurmat Kalmurzaev concluded.