Key section of CAREC corridor opened
The newly reconstructed 77-kilometer Osh–Gulcha road in southern Kyrgyz Republic aims to improve connectivity to regional and global markets, a main objective of the long-term development of the country.
The road is part of the Osh–Sary Tash–Irkeshtam Southern Transport Corridor, which forms one section of CAREC Corridor 2.
Completion of the road symbolized 15 years of fruitful partnership between ADB and the Kyrgyz Republic, said Mr. Lan Wu, ADB Country Director for the Kyrgyz Republic, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the road on 3 December 2009.
“Improving connectivity to regional and global markets is a main condition in the long-term development of the country. This road directly links the Kyrgyz Republic and broader Central Asia regional market with the People’s Republic of China, and to East Asia and beyond,” he said.
The road was funded in part by an Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan of $32.8 million. Chief of Staff of the President’s Institution Kanybek Joroev attended the ceremony. The Kyrgyz government has contributed $10.6 million to the project.
The road will
- promote economic growth by increasing regional trade and cooperation;
- enhance transport efficiency through reducing costs to international and domestic road users, and access to markets and social services for people in the project area will be improved; and
- improve public infrastructure to create a suitable environment for private sector development.