At this pass, the Kusein Kolbaev Tunnel was built, which is 2510 meters long.
According to data, in 1930 there were only 20 cars in Kyrgyzstan, and by 1935 their number had increased to 200. By 1946, this number had risen to 2400, and by 1951—up to 12,000.
The growth in the number of cars in the country contributed to the active construction of roads.
The construction of the road connecting Frunze and Osh was of strategic importance for the Kyrgyz people; however, due to World War II, its implementation was delayed for 24 years. Before the construction began, shepherds faced difficulties in driving livestock to the pastures of the Suusamyr Valley. In 1940, about 18,000 Kyrgyz, armed with shovels and crowbars, began to build this highway, working in any weather conditions.
The tunnel at the Töö-Ashuu Pass, 1971
// Turmush
In the 1940s, the authorities of Kyrgyzstan considered the construction of a road connecting the southern and northern regions. Previously, residents had to reach the southern capital—Osh through Tashkent in Uzbekistan, which added over 100 kilometers to the journey. The Bishkek—Osh highway project was large-scale and funded from the USSR budget, and the construction of the tunnel at the Töö-Ashuu Pass was particularly costly.
To implement the project, engineers from Moscow, who had experience in subway construction, were invited to the tunnel. Local residents also actively participated in the work. As a result, in 1962, the highway connecting the north and south of the country was opened, and many builders received medals for their contribution to this important project.
Today, more than 500,000 vehicles pass along the Bishkek—Osh highway annually. The main road of the country underwent a major repair from 1996 to 2007. During this work, a tragic incident occurred: on August 3, 2001, in the tunnel at the Töö-Ashuu Pass, 5 people died as a result of a traffic jam. The cause of the accident was a stalled truck, and the enclosed space quickly filled with carbon monoxide. This incident became an important lesson for builders: after it, ventilation systems were improved, surveillance cameras were installed, and fire alarms were put in place.
