Kakheti Expressway to Halve Travel Time from Tbilisi to Wine Region
"The Kakheti Expressway would halve the journey time from Tbilisi to Kakheti while also improving road safety," Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili said.
The Prime Minister noted that according to the 10-year plan of the government, 2 billion GEL will be spent on the development of Kakheti road infrastructure, of which 1 billion GEL is already being invested.
The international highway is being built by the Roads Department of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure.
According to the Minister of Infrastructure, Irakli Karseladze, at this stage, works are underway on the 35 km Tbilisi-Sagarejo-Vaziani bypass road.
Tbilisi-Sagarejo highway is divided into 3 sections and a 4-lane cement-concrete expressway equipped with an outdoor lighting system is being built. The construction of the 35 km section of Tbilisi-Sagarejo is financed from the state budget, the total cost of which is more than 527 million GEL.
Based on the engineering and financial analysis conducted by the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, the construction of the road was divided into lots and, while ensuring high competition, Georgian companies were allowed to participate in the tender independently. Accordingly, one of the sections of the Tbilisi-Sagarejo Kakheti highway is being built by a Georgian company that won the tender.
Highly qualified Austrian and German companies worked on the design of the Kakheti highway, with the financial support of the World Bank.
The Tbilisi-Sagarejo section is part of the main highway connecting Tbilisi to Kakheti, as well as the transit corridor connecting the north-western region of Azerbaijan. On the Tbilisi-Sagarejo section, the intensity of traffic flows has significantly increased, and the existing road passes through densely populated villages and cities.
According to the government administration, the construction of the new road will significantly improve traffic safety, which is one of the main challenges due to the current situation in this section.
The project will also enhance the competitiveness of transit corridors in Georgia.
In Kakheti, in addition to the construction of road infrastructure, 18 projects worth 61 million GEL are being implemented within the framework of rehabilitation, which includes the rehabilitation of 65 km of roads and 1 bridge, as well as 9 coast protection projects.