# [KG] Kyrgyzstan | road infrastructure • автомагистралдар



## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

flag:


















Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country in Central Asia, sometimes dubbed as the Switzerland of Central Asia due to it's natural beauty. The Jengish Chokusu is the highest mountain at 7.439 meters. The country, however, is generally poor with an underdeveloped infrastructure. The population is around 5.5 million on almost 200,000 km²

Some pics I found on Google Earth:

There is one cloverleaf in Kyrgyzstan to my knowledge; in the Bishkek bypass









Which looks like this by the way.




































intersection M39/A365.









The GAI - traffic police









A356 from Bishkek to Tokmok.









A356 in Tokmok, near the Kazakh border









1 liter "93 gasoline" is 23 Kyrgyzstani Som = € 0,37









A356 east of Tokmok









A356 Tokmok - Balkychy



























In Balkychy


----------



## CptSchmidt (Jan 7, 2010)

Those roads could use some work. I didn't realise that Kyrgyz roads would be so wide, though. Good finds, Chris.


----------



## iMiros (Aug 21, 2009)

I am confused which one of these signs are officially in use...


----------



## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

I'm not sure either. However, the only time I have seen pics of Kyrgyzstani trucks (in Poland), they had KGZ ovals.


----------



## The Mayor (Apr 14, 2009)

ChrisZwolle said:


> I'm not sure either. However, the only time I have seen pics of Kyrgyzstani trucks (in Poland), they had KGZ ovals.


Official oval is KS.


----------



## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

^^ I think so too, Wikipedia, worldlicenseplates and UNECE all show the KS code. 

Weird why KGZ would be used then...


----------



## RipleyLV (Jun 4, 2008)

I've seen many times trucks from Kyrgyzstan with KGZ oval, so I think KS is not the official...


----------



## Ayceman (Mar 18, 2009)

Maybe the other versions are temporarily acceptable.


----------



## The Mayor (Apr 14, 2009)

Ayceman said:


> Maybe the other versions are temporarily acceptable.


Correct. After the collapse of the USSR the Kyrgyz people used KGZ, after 1992 it was officialy changed to KS, however KGZ is still in use on (older) trucks and buses.


----------



## Polonus (May 14, 2008)

Mountain pass near Bishkek











Somewhere in Kyrgyzstan











Transport of animals











That road is a border between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan











Semi-arid climate




















Dust storm











Town of Batken, 300 km from Osh











A street in Batken






















Petrol station


----------



## Nima-Farid (Jul 13, 2010)

^^ What a bad qualitty of road


----------



## essendon bombers (Apr 27, 2008)

#10 first photo - how far did the right hand drive car come from to be in the snowy mountains of Kyrgyzstan?

I really like the mountains in those pictures.


----------



## RKC (Jun 16, 2007)

^^ i think in those parts, they use some rhd vehicles, at least i've seen videos with rhd cars and russian plates


----------



## Satyricon84 (Feb 3, 2009)

Pamir Highway on the Kyrgyz side of the border


















Sary Tash









Sary Moghul









The road to Osh




































Osh









Osh-Bishkek highway













































Victory Square in Bishkek









Bishkek-Karakol highway



























Lake Issyk Kul









Karakol









The first guesthouse ever in Central Asia


















Jeti-Oguz rock formations









Jeti-Oguz valley 



























Sovietskaya street, the main street in Bishkek









Ala-Too Square in Bishkek


----------



## YU-AMC (Jan 27, 2008)

Oh boy ......


----------



## mariusvonbucovina (Jan 27, 2011)

essendon bombers said:


> #10 first photo - how far did the right hand drive car come from to be in the snowy mountains of Kyrgyzstan?
> 
> I really like the mountains in those pictures.


The RHD cars come From SE Asia (mainly Japan; they export most of the SH cars). They were quite affordable, I must say.

The road Bishkek - Osh crosses the pass at about 3500m altitude. Noteworthy that they struggle to keep it open even during the winter, being the only terrestrial route between the main cities of the country.


----------



## GROBIN (Feb 27, 2011)

Any pics of roadsigns ?


----------



## Satyricon84 (Feb 3, 2009)

From Tajikistan to Kazakhstan through Kyrgyzstan


----------



## Satyricon84 (Feb 3, 2009)




----------



## Albinfo (Jul 24, 2009)

^^ just beautiful, thx


----------



## Verso (Jun 5, 2006)

Yes, thanks for those pics, Satyricon, really beautiful landscape. And the road is very decent!


----------



## Satyricon84 (Feb 3, 2009)

You're welcome 

Some pics that I didn't posted yet of that trip


----------



## Satyricon84 (Feb 3, 2009)




----------



## GROBIN (Feb 27, 2011)

Breathtaking pics !  Makes me want to do the same trip !


----------



## Satyricon84 (Feb 3, 2009)

^^ Let's go!!


----------



## Nima-Farid (Jul 13, 2010)

Have fun!


----------



## Stainless (Jun 7, 2009)

Great pictures. I do have one question though. You pass through a small amount of Uzbekistan between Osh and Bishkek, is there any controls or need for a multi entry visa? I can't seem to find out any precise info on this anywhere.


----------



## -Pino- (Aug 12, 2007)

The Lonely Planet forum is a good place to search for questions like those. From what I understand there, there is indeed a road between the two towns that crosses Uzbek territory, but there is a newer road that remains in Kyrgyzstan all the time. Of course, that new road is much more popular among bus and taxi drivers between Osh and Bishkek. Presumably this also means that there will be visa hassle on the road that passes over Uzbek territory.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1997869


----------



## Stainless (Jun 7, 2009)

^^^ Thanks for that, I was looking there but couldn't find that thread. Sounds good, I will be with someone else from the UK, who is already in the area. I can't wait!


----------



## -Pino- (Aug 12, 2007)

Looks like you've got a lovely trip ahead of you. Be sure to post some photos 

I am still dreaming of a trip from Samarqand and Bukhara via the Pamirs to Kashgar (rather than to Bishkek, where you will be heading). From Kashgar, then South via the Karakorum Highway into Pakistan, and then I'd just see where on the Subcontinent I end. Ah, sweet dreams ...


----------



## kubabh (Mar 29, 2012)

wow this pictures are awesome! :banana:


----------



## Nima-Farid (Jul 13, 2010)

have fun. hope you visit iran on your way. you won't regret it.


----------



## Stainless (Jun 7, 2009)

Nima-Farid said:


> have fun. hope you visit iran on your way. you won't regret it.


I don't know who that was aimed at but I do really want to visit Iran someday. Unfortunately at the moment our countries are not being too friendly to each other. I know several people who have visited and they all loved the place, the people but not the authorities


----------



## Nima-Farid (Jul 13, 2010)

Stainless said:


> I don't know who that was aimed at but I do really want to visit Iran someday. Unfortunately at the moment our countries are not being too friendly to each other. I know several people who have visited and they all loved the place, the people but not the authorities


Yeah, it is a beautiful place. You can see every type of landscape there, from Sahara style deserts to dense jungles and wide grasslands and all year-round ice-caps on tall mountains.
BTW, Kyrgyzstan and all central asian countries are beautiful. hope you have fun there.


----------



## Nima-Farid (Jul 13, 2010)

A road sign in Kyrgyzstan


----------



## NFZANMNIM (Jul 6, 2012)

:deadthread:


----------



## Satyricon84 (Feb 3, 2009)

Road towards Sary Tash









Sary Tash. Left towards China and Kashgar, right towards Tajikistan and the Pamir Highway.









Taldyk Pass









Way to Osh


















M41 towards Bishkek


----------



## NFZANMNIM (Jul 6, 2012)

>


Nice View :cheers:


----------



## crimio (Dec 23, 2012)

How many km of motorway are in Kyrgyzstan?
In 2003 they had only 140 km. Today is the same?


----------



## NFZANMNIM (Jul 6, 2012)

In Kyrgyzstan I don't think there is any motorway.


----------



## CNGL (Jun 10, 2010)

sotonsi said:


> Looking at streetview, it seems like they don't use the Soviet road numbering system that maps use. There's only a handful of signs that have these numbers on. Everything else is numberless.
> 
> Here's some guesses, based on the signs I've found.
> 
> ...


It's ЭM (EM in our script). Too bad they have removed Soviet M41, but it is also true they may want to use their own numbering.


----------



## -Pino- (Aug 12, 2007)

I personally believe that it is better in the longer run to have one national road numbering system based on uniform standards than to retain all sorts of pre-independence legacy numbers. As much as it's fun that you still have a few road numbers in Vietnam and Laos that are legacy French Routes Imperiales, it is not particularly helpful for the motorist. Anyway, with road numbers hardly being signposted throughout Kyrgyzstan, the priority may still have to be actually signposting something to aid the motorist...

As regards grand entrances: I believe that this is thanks to the choice to have roads bypass smaller villages. Good for these villages when you compare it to rural villages on national roads elsewhere on the planet, but it probably triggered this type of "hey don't forget that we're still there" constructs.


----------



## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

It makes you wonder what 'ЭM' stands for.


----------



## -Pino- (Aug 12, 2007)

^^ Road sponsored by the manufacturer of post-its? ;-)


----------



## CNGL (Jun 10, 2010)

I hope road numbers come up more frequently as signs get replaced. However I miss E routes, here they could have signed E40, E125 and E010; and the last one could have been signed here.


----------



## sotonsi (Feb 6, 2007)

^^ why the E roads and not the Asian Highways?


----------



## CNGL (Jun 10, 2010)

Then that first sign would feature nine route numbers :nuts:: EM-01, EM-07, EM-09, M-001, E40, E125, E010, AH5 and AH61. Anyway, in Spain we have signs with way more numbers signed.


----------



## -Pino- (Aug 12, 2007)

Central Asia is an area where E-routes and AH-routes overlap. Where two sister organisations at the UN manage the systems, allowing the overlap was a pretty dumb move if you ask me. I am agnostic as to which system should prevail in Central Asia, but signposting something would be a good thing to do now.


----------



## rakcancer (Sep 2, 2010)

There should be E-system all over the world or at least in whole continental Euro-Asia region. (Islands like GB or Japan can have own system if they wish)


----------



## italystf (Aug 2, 2011)

rakcancer said:


> There should be E-system all over the world or at least in whole continental Euro-Asia region. (Islands like GB or Japan can have own system if they wish)


I don't think we really need a single road number from Lisbon to Shangai. Even in Europe, E-numbers are almost never used in real life.


----------



## sotonsi (Feb 6, 2007)

italystf said:


> I don't think we really need a single road number from Lisbon to Shangai.


It would be Brest, surely? I know the E80 and AH5 are concurrent in western Turkey, but AH5 is concurrent with E60 from Poti to China... 

I've drawn a map of the known routes here:
http://www.scribblemaps.com/maps/view/Kyrgyzi_EM-roads/ILY_3pbShu


----------



## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Streetview in Sary-Tash, Kyrgyzstan by Timon Kruijk, on Flickr


Mountain view, Sary-Tash, Kyrgyzstan by Timon Kruijk, on Flickr


Mountain view, Sary-Tash, Kyrgyzstan by Timon Kruijk, on Flickr


On the road in southern Kyrgyzstan by Timon Kruijk, on Flickr


On the road in southern Kyrgyzstan by Timon Kruijk, on Flickr


----------



## NFZANMNIM (Jul 6, 2012)

The 2004 document renummbering the roads
link
Another document from 2011, depicting a bunch of road documents not on the google list
link


----------



## CNGL (Jun 10, 2010)

^^ Both links are the same .


----------



## sotonsi (Feb 6, 2007)

Here's the 2011 document http://cbd.minjust.gov.kg/act/view/ru-ru/92756?cl=ru-ru


----------



## Verso (Jun 5, 2006)

Kyrgyzstan changed its vehicle code in 2015 to "KG". Now Kosovo can go back to KS. :lol:

https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewD...sg_no=XI-B-1&chapter=11&Temp=mtdsg5&clang=_en


----------



## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

I've found a complete list of road numbers in Kyrgyzstan:






ПОРЯДОК "классификации и нумерации автомобильных дорог общего пользования на территории Кыргызской Республики" (Утвержден постановлением Правительства Кыргызской Республики от 18 августа 2017 года № 512)







cbd.minjust.gov.kg





There are 23 EM-routes.
ЭМ = Эл аралык магистраль, _El aralık magistral_, International Highway

There are 122 M-routes
М = Мамлекеттик магистраль, _Mamlekettik magistral,_ State Highway



*Индекс и номер*​*Наименование автомобильной дороги*​ЭМ-01​Бишкек - Луговое - Кордай (Республика Казахстан)​ЭМ-02​Алматы - Бишкек - Ташкент (объездная г.Бишкек)​ЭМ-03​Кара-Балта - Чалдовар - граница с Республикой Казахстан​ЭМ-04​Бишкек - Ош​ЭМ-05​Ош - Сары-Таш - Иркештам (граница с Китайской Народной Республикой)​ЭМ-06​Сары-Таш - Кары-Мык - граница с Республикой Таджикистан​ЭМ-07​Сары-Таш - пер. Кызыл-Арт - граница с Республикой Таджикистан​ЭМ-08​Тюп - Кеген (Республика Казахстан)​ЭМ-09​Балыкчы - Ананьево - Каракол​ЭМ-10​Балыкчы - Боконбаево - Каракол​ЭМ-11​Бишкек - Балыкчы - Нарын - Торугарт - граница с Китайской Народной Республикой​ЭМ-12​Джалал-Абад - Казарман с заездом в Кок-Янгак​ЭМ-13​Актал - Казарман​ЭМ-14​Бишкек - Международный аэропорт "Манас"​ЭМ-15​Ош - Ташкент через Коканд, Андижан​ЭМ-16​Ош - Баткен - Исфана - Кайрагач (граница с Республикой Таджикистан)​ЭМ-17​Суусамыр - Талас - Тараз​ЭМ-18​Кочкор - Арал - Тоо-Ашуу​ЭМ-19​Узген - Мырза-Аке - Кара-Кульджа - Алайку​ЭМ-20​Бишкек - Токмок - 82 км а/д Бишкек - Балыкчы - Нарын - Торугарт​ЭМ-21​Кадамжай - Чечме - Сох (Республика Узбекистан)​ЭМ-22​Баткен - Кара-Токой - Сох (Республика Узбекистан)​ЭМ-23​Кокмойнок - Кувакы - Кочкор​


----------



## CNGL (Jun 10, 2010)

Unless I'm missing something, EM-11 and EM-20 appear to be one and the same road. It appears EM-13 has a hanging end at Ak-tal, connecting only to lower-level roads (it couldn't continue to Naryn?) And OSM has mislabelled several roads (perhaps an earlier numbering?)


----------



## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

This appears to be a substantial renumbering of the original 'EM' numbers that were implemented around 2004. OSM uses the old numbering (which also appears on signs).

EM-11 and EM-20 are two parallel routes between Bishkek and Tokmok. There is a fast road directly along the Kazakhstan border that bypasses all towns between Bishkek and Tokmok (it even has a few interchanges) while EM-20 is likely the older road between those two cities. 

EM-13 is odd indeed, I also thought it would make more sense to continue it to Naryn.

EM-23 is a shortcut to Kochkor, about 25 kilometers west of Balykchy. It goes over the Kuvaky Pass which apparently was closed for a long time. It was difficult to find Кувакы on a map. OSM has its name displayed there, but you can't find it through the search bar, nor on Yandex or other mapping services.


----------



## CNGL (Jun 10, 2010)

Ah, now I see. "km 82 on the Bishkek-Bal'ikchy-Naryn-Torugart", would have been easier for me if they had put "km 82 on EM-11" (82 км а/д ЭМ-11).

EM-02 is also another headscratcher. It says "Almaty-Bishkek-Tashkent", but then it says it's the Bishkek bypass. So it would be more sensible to list its route as EM-01/EM-11 junction to the EM-04 one.


----------



## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

EM-15 is listed as "Ош - Ташкент через Коканд, Андижан " (Osh - Tashkent via Kokand, Andijan). In reality this road is only a few kilometers long from Osh to the Uzbek border.


----------



## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

ChrisZwolle said:


> EM-11 and EM-20 are two parallel routes between Bishkek and Tokmok. There is a fast road directly along the Kazakhstan border that bypasses all towns between Bishkek and Tokmok (it even has a few interchanges) while EM-20 is likely the older road between those two cities.


A closer look reveals that EM-11 is a four lane road all the way from Bishkek to Balykchy (160 kilometers). This is by far the longest four lane highway in Kyrgyzstan, though I wouldn't call it a motorway of European standards. 

Historic satellite imagery shows that the road along the Kazakh border was built during Soviet times, at least before 1984 from Bishkek to the Boom Gorge. It may have been a four lane road at that time. The section through the Boom Gorge and further to Balykchy has been widened to four lanes between 2009 and 2015 as part of a Chinese-funded project. 









The Smooth Road Through Boom Gorge


The road is smooth, for the most part, and cleared just in time.



thediplomat.com





The rest of EM-11 to Naryn and to the Torugart Pass has been rehabilitated between 2011 and 2017. This is CAREC corridor 1. It was financed by China, Arab funds and the Asian Development bank. This part crosses 3 passes over 3,000 meters altitude. These are relatively easy passes (no hairpin turns). Torugart Pass is 3752 meters high. The Chinese border crossing is located 110 kilometers into Chinese territory.

The four lane segment of EM-11:


----------



## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

*Alternative North-South Road *

There is a big $ 850 million road project underway that will create a new, lower elevation road link to the Fergana Valley. It's called the 'Alternative North-South Road'. It runs from Balykchy via Kazarman to Jalal-Abad.

Two new sections are constructed;

Aral - Kazarman through a canyon
Kazarman - Jalal-Abad via an alternative route
In blue: the main road (former M-41) from Bishkek to Jalal-Abad, in red: the newly developed route.









There already is a road from Kazarman to Jalal-Abad, it crosses over the 2992 meter high Kaldama Pass, which is an unpaved road that is closed half of the year due to snow. The former M-41 (now EM-04) through the Kolbaev Tunnel is kept open during the winter, but reaches 3180 meters above sea level and is often difficult or impassable during the winter. It is also a time-consuming drive.

The new road provides access from the Kuvyk Pass (2100 m) west of Balykchy and remains below 1500 m for most of the route from Kochkor to Kazarman (except for Kyzart Pass which is apparently an easy pass). Portions of this road are visible on Google Earth. Some substantial bridgework was necessary due to the narrow canyon. A 700 meter long tunnel was also built somewhere in this area. The 2017 road numbering did not assign an EM-route to this corridor.

The Kazarman - Jalal-Abad section is built through different valleys because tunneling the Kaldama Pass would require a 10 kilometer long tunnel. A new tunnel 3.7 km in length is under construction 17 kilometers southeast of the Kaldama Pass. This includes about 80 kilometers of new road through the mountains, according to Google Earth most of that is completed, only the tunnel needs completion.

The new tunnel (located at Kok-Art on the map above)


----------



## VITORIA MAN (Jan 31, 2013)

Kyrgyzstan by janter2, en Flickr


----------



## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Road EM-16 (Osh - Batken - Isfana - Tajikistan border) wasn't an important route during Soviet times. Most east-west traffic in this region used the main roads through the Fergana Valley.

However once the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, this road suddenly became the only road to western Kyrgyzstan. Worse yet, it crossed into Uzbek and Tajik territory several times. And things got even worse during the 1990s when Uzbekistan closed most of its border crossings. New rough unpaved bypasses of closed borders were created.

However things improved considerably between 2010 and 2016, when Kyrgyzstan built new paved roads that bypassed Uzbek and Tajik territory. The road still crosses through those countries according to some maps, but they do not have border posts, so they are de-facto in Kyrgyzstan.

One exception is the corridor between Chorku and the Vorukh exclave of Tajikistan. The border isn't defined precisely and both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan needed an uninterrupted road link between both parts of their countries. So no border posts were erected there.

In blue: newly built paved roads to bypass borders
In green: sections that still run through Uzbek or Tajik territory according to some maps (but there are no physical border crossings).


----------



## verreme (May 16, 2012)

^^ This is a common issue in central Asia. It also happens between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.


----------



## Krumpi (Jan 14, 2012)

ChrisZwolle said:


> In green: sections that still run through Uzbek or Tajik territory according to some maps (but there are no physical border crossings).


question is where is the border 

osm vs. gmaps vs. mapy.cz


----------



## NFZANMNIM (Jul 6, 2012)

Krumpi said:


> question is where is the border
> 
> osm vs. gmaps vs. mapy.cz
> View attachment 575613
> ...


10 months since this post and we have tet another set of borders hehe

OSM seems to have been brought to agreement with mapy.cz, vs Yandex
















A similar mess exists further West at Vorukh exclave of Tajikistan too.


----------



## klimakas (Oct 16, 2019)

NFZANMNIM said:


> 10 months since this post and we have tet another set of borders hehe
> 
> OSM seems to have been brought to agreement with mapy.cz, vs Yandex
> View attachment 1898902
> ...


as far as I can remember from the information read from the internet, the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is arguably still unclear.


----------

