On June 2nd, vehicles were driving on the second phase of the New North South Highway in Toguztoro District, Jalalabad Oblast, Kyrgyzstan. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Azamat)
When I was a child, the children around me were thinking about how to graze; now, young people here are thinking about how to better entertain guests who come to play, “said Rezaliev, a resident of Kazarman Village in Jalalabad, Kyrgyzstan.” All of this is thanks to Chinese friends who helped us build high-quality roads
Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous inland country. Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan in the north, and Jalalabad and Osh in the south are important economic zones of this country. However, the old highway connecting the north and south has been in disrepair for a long time, resulting in poor traffic.
In the past, it took more than ten hours to drive from my house to Bishkek by car, all on gravel roads that were difficult to walk on. We had to be vigilant against traffic accidents at all times, “recalled Rezaliyev.” Heavy vehicles were difficult to reach us, and the materials and equipment needed for construction could not be transported, which greatly affected the construction and development
As one of the first countries to support and participate in the joint construction of the “the Belt and Road”, Kyrgyzstan cooperates with China in the construction of the New North South Highway, a trunk highway connecting the north and south of Kyrgyzstan. The highway has a total length of 433 kilometers, bringing practical convenience and well-being to the local people, and also revitalizing the areas along the route.
On June 2nd, vehicles were driving on the first phase of the New North South Highway in Toguztoro District, Jalalabad Oblast, Kyrgyzstan. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Azamat)
After the new road was repaired, our travel to the state capital Jalalabad and even the Issyk Kul scenic area in the north has become much faster. With the smooth flow of the road, it is easy to transport large goods here. In the past, there were not many people who came to visit here, but now many houses in the area are rented to tourists. “Rezaliev said that in order to better communicate with guests, many people have also learned foreign languages.
Mamerbaev runs a restaurant in the village of Kazarman. He was delighted to see that the New North South Highway had brought significant changes to the lives of local residents. Thanks to participating in highway construction, the income of many people around me has increased and their purchasing power has also improved. More and more customers are coming to my restaurant for meals, and business is thriving
Mamelbayev told reporters that the new road brought him a great experience. I have driven this road several times to Jalalabad and Bishkek. The road is smooth and open, and even if the speed is fast, I don’t feel any bumps. Car malfunctions have also decreased, and the smooth journey has made me happy
However, building roads here is not an easy task. Kyrgyzstan is known as the “Central Asian Mountain Country”, with 90% of its land area located at an altitude of over 1500 meters. The first and second phases of the New North South Highway are constructed by China Road and Bridge Corporation. The deputy general manager of the company’s office in Jilin, Jin Zhe, said that the construction sections are mostly in uninhabited areas, and there are no access roads to enter the construction site. In the early stage of the project, primitive methods such as horses and donkeys were mainly used to transport materials for construction personnel
On June 2nd, vehicles were driving on the first phase of the New North South Highway in Toguztoro District, Jalalabad Oblast, Kyrgyzstan. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Azamat)
Jin Zhe stated that in response to construction difficulties and special geographical conditions along the route, builders design construction plans tailored to local conditions. Kyrgyzstan is mountainous, and we have built a tunnel nearly 4 kilometers long. The highway passes through the largest river in Kyrgyzstan, the Naren River, and we have built two super large elevated bridges for this purpose. This has accumulated experience for building similar large-scale infrastructure projects in high mountain areas in the future
Standing on the turbulent banks of the Naren River, Murataliev, the administrative director of Toguztoro District in Jalalabad, pointed to the nearby river crossing viaduct and told reporters, “I never imagined that such a beautiful and practical bridge could be built in our district before
Murataliev said that with the influx of domestic and foreign investors, it has driven the development of industries such as tourism, food, and hotels. He believes that the new highway will become a “happy road” for residents along the route. We are honored to be witnesses of this smooth path