EM-04 (Kyrgyzstan)
EM-04 | |
|---|---|
| Bishkek - Osh Road | |
EM-04 highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 655 km[1] (407 mi) |
| Major junctions | |
| From | Osh |
| North end | Bishkek |
| Location | |
| Country | Kyrgyzstan |
| Highway system | |
The EM-04 (Kyrgyz: ЭМ-04), colloquially known as the Bishkek–Osh Road (Kyrgyz: Бишкек-Ош жолу ; Russian: Автодорога Бишкек-Ош), is a primary highway in Kyrgyzstan intended to connect the largest population centers in the south and north of the country. It crosses the regions of Osh, Jalal Abad, Talas and Chüy, being one of the most used roads for travel and trade in the country.
The road is part of the International E-road network that connects various parts of Europe and Central Asia, where this road is assigned the code E010.
History
Construction of this highway began in the late 1950s following initiatives of the ministries of Soviet Central Asia to connect Osh, Suusamyr and Bishkek, formerly known as Frunze during that time.[2]
The EM-04 was partially affected after disruption when Kyrgyzstan became independent of the Soviet Union in 1991, then in 1994 an attempt was made to improve road conditions through loans to international monetary funds such as the Official Development Assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.[3]
During the Soviet period, much of the population used roads between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to travel and trade with other parts of Central Asia. Due to the conflicts in the Fergana Valley that began to take place in the 1990s, Uzbekistan temporarily cut off land communications with Kyrgyzstan causing an increase in transportation for the EM-04 to travel between the north and south of the country.[4]
The renovation projects of the EM-04 started between 1999 and the early 2000s, being one of the biggest infrastructure projects undertaken by the Kyrgyz government,[5] the original journey time between Osh and Bishkek was 11-12 hours, but thanks to the funding of this project it can be reduced to 8-9 hours according to figures given by the Asian Development Bank in the early 2010s.[6]
In March 2014, the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) signed with the Kyrgyz government for the financing of the renovation of several sections of the EM-04 at a cost of around USD 60 million.[7] Road rehabilitation processes have also received financial support from the Asia Development Bank (ABD) and the State Exim Bank of China.[8]
Route description
Osh Region
The road starts in the Osh metropolitan area and then heads to the north-eastern part of the region across the Kurshab River (Kyrgyz: Куршаб). It then crosses the Kara Darya River (Kyrgyz: Кара-Дарыя) until it reaches the urban centre of Uzgen.
In the Uzgen metropolitan area, the EM-04 passes around the Central Stadium (Russian: Узгенский центральный стадион) and then runs through the centre specifying around the Afghan War Memorial and then heads north passing around the Tort Kutshko Mosque. In addition, the EM-04 passes around the Jazy River (Kyrgyz: Жазы).
EM-04 connects the urban area of Shoro Bashat (Kyrgyz: Шоро Башат), passing around the Marus Ata Ajı Mosque (Kyrgyz: Марус Ата Ажы Мечити). The route passes around the urban center of Ana-Kyzyl (Kyrgyz: Ана-Кызыл), then crosses the mountainous area leading to the Jalal Abad region.
Jalal Abad Region
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The EM-04 passes through the rural locality of Tash-Akur (Kyrgyz: Таш-Акур). Subsequently, the EM-04 heads to the northwest of the region, passing through the region's flat area and connecting several rural localities.
The EM-04 subsequently surrounds the urban area of Suzak (Kyrgyz: Сузак), specifically in the northern part. Then the route across the Kök-Art River (Kyrgyz: Көк-Арт ; Russian: Кек-Арт). The Kok-Art Bridge was originally built in 1969 and was renovated after donations from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) where a new bridge of approximately 89 meters in length was built in a project with a budget of 12 million dollars.[9] Then, the route heads much further north and passes through the mountainous area of the Jalal Abad Region until it reaches Bazar-Korgon Reservoir (Russian: Базар-Коргонское водохранилище).
Subsequently the EM-04 heads to the Bazar-Korgon metropolitan area (Russian: Бaзaзaр-Кoргoн) and then crosses the Kara Unkur River (Kyrgyz: Кара-Үңкүр ; Russian: Кара-Ункюр). Later, the route passes through the urban center of Kara-Köl (Kyrgyz: Кара-Көл ; Russian: Кара-Куль). Then, the highway passes around the Toktogul Reservoir (Kyrgyz: Токтогул суу сактагычы).[10]
Talas Region
The EM-04 passes briefly through this region, specifically through the mountainous area of the south-eastern corner passing around the Itagar River (Kyrgyz: Ит-Агар суу). In addition, the EM-04 also passes around the Chychkan State Reserve (Russian: Чычканский государственнный заказник ; Kyrgyz: Чычкан мамлекеттик жаратылыш коругу).
Chüy Region
Upon entering this region, the route leads to the Manas Statue located at the intersection with EM-17. The road then heads east and crosses several small rivers through the Suusamyr Valley[11] (Kyrgyz: Суусамыр өрөөнү ; Russian: Сусамырская долина), then heads much further north and intersects with EM-18.
The road passes through mountainous areas including Töö Ashuu Mountain Pass (Kyrgyz: Төө-Ашуу) through the Kolbaev Tunnel.[12] EM-04 then heads much further north and crosses the Kara-Balta River (Kyrgyz: Карабалта) and reaches the urban center of Sosnovka (Kyrgyz: Сосновка).
The EM-04 goes much further north and reaches the urban center of Kara-Balta and then heads to the east of the region crossing the Ak Suu (Kyrgyz: Ак-суу), Sokuluk (Kyrgyz: Сокулук) and Jylamysh (Kyrgyz: Жыламыш) rivers. Connecting with the localities of Belovodskoye (Kyrgyz: Беловодское) and later with the metropolitan area of Bishkek, the capital of the country.
External links
- EM-04 on Google Maps
- EM-04 on Wegen Wiki (in Dutch)
References
- ^ "Kyrgyz Republic : Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Corridor 3 (Bishkek-Osh Road) Improvement Project, Phase 4". Asian Development Bank (ADB). Retrieved 2024-10-22.
- ^ Ismanov, Almaz (2021-04-15). "Как строили дорогу из Фрунзе в Ош" [How the road from Frunze to Osh was built]. Incredible Osh (in Kyrgyz). Retrieved 2024-10-28.
- ^ Shimomura, Nobuko (2008). "Bishkek-Osh Road Rehabilitation Projects" (PDF). JICA. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ "Kyrgyzstan: How Suitable Is the North-South Alternative Highway?". Central Asian Bureau for Analytical Reporting. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
- ^ Pomfret, Richard (2020). Princeton University Press (ed.). The Central Asian Economies Since Independence. p. 81. ISBN 9780691222509.
- ^ Asian Development Bank, ed. (2013). Development Effectiveness Review 2012 Report. ISBN 9789292540333.
- ^ "The Bishkek-Osh Road Rehabilitation Project in Kyrgyz Republic". Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ^ Krasnopolsky, Peter (2022). Springer Nature Singapore (ed.). "China, Russia and Central Asian Infrastructure Fragmenting Or Reformatting the Region?". p. 135. ISBN 9789811942549.
- ^ Moiseeva, Svetlana (2015-07-08). "Атамбаев поучаствовал в церемонии открытия моста через реку Кок-Арт" [Atambayev took part in the opening ceremony of the bridge across the Kok-Art River]. VB.kg (in Russian).
- ^ The Rise of the Infrastructure State: How US–China Rivalry Shapes Politics and Place Worldwide. 2023. p. 34. ISBN 9781529220780.
- ^ Lonely Planet Publications, ed. (1996). Central Asia: A Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit. p. 108. ISBN 9780864423580.
- ^ Zhussupbekov, Askar; Sarsembayeva, Assel; Kaliakin, Victor. CRC Press (ed.). Smart Geotechnics for Smart Societies Proceedings of the 17th Asian Regional Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. p. 127. ISBN 9781000992540.