A 9-kilometre tunnel connecting Kvesheti and Kobi was opened within the framework of the Kvesheti-Kobi road project.
The drilling works were carried out by a special Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), which significantly reduces the impact on the environment and ensures its sustainability. A parallel evacuation tunnel is cut at 7,730 metres.
The new 9-kilometre-long, 15-metre diameter tunnel is the longest in Georgia and is unique. Installation of electric and engineering systems and arrangement of the road cover will begin afterwards.
Within the framework of the project, a 23-kilometre-long two-side asphalt-concrete road will be constructed. The project comprises the construction of 5 bridges, five tunnels and one bridge rehabilitation. It also includes the construction of a tourist centre and a new 5-kilometre-long road leading to Gudauri resort.
The road of modern road safety standards will reduce travel time. Currently, it takes one hour to travel to Kobi, and sometimes driving is banned due to avalanche threats, passing through the section will take 15 minutes. The new road offers a safe and reliable travel route and improves regional links with the mountain villages.
The project will have a social impact on ten villages, which are cut off from the regional centres for several months and have no access to medical, educational and household needs. The new road will solve transit movement restrictions in the winter period.
The Kvesheti-Kobi road construction project is implemented with the financial support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and, in the tunnel construction part, with the co-financing of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The project’s total value is GEL 1.2 billion. The 23-kilometre-long Kvesheti-Kobi road construction will be completed in stages in 2024-2025.
