Travel time from the Georgian capital of Tbilisi to the central part of the country’s eastern Kakheti region will be reduced to one hour and 20 minutes thanks to a new highway that is due to become operational over the next two years, the ministry of infrastructure announced on Thursday.
The state body said the construction of the four-lane Kakheti highway was "actively underway", with the GEL 527,169,937 works financed from the state budget and slated to “completely relieve traffic in populated areas”. The ministry said it expected improved traffic safety and reduced travel times as a result of the completion of the project.
Details of the initiative show the highway project is divided into two sections - a 35km Tbilisi-Sagarejo and 16.6km Bakurtsikhe-Tsnori roads.
The former is itself composed of three sections - the Vaziani bypass road, Vaziani-Sagarejo section and Sagarejo bypass road - with construction underway on all three. The Vaziani bypass is planned to be completed in 2023, while the remaining two sections will be opened in 2024.
While being a part of a main highway connecting Tbilisi with Kakheti, the Tbilisi-Sagarejo road also functions as a transit corridor providing connection to the northwestern part of Azerbaijan. The existing road passes through densely populated villages and cities of Vaziani, Sartichala, Ninotsminda and Sagarejo.
After its completion, the Bakurtsikhe-Tsnori road will pass six villages in Alazani lowlands. It will connect the international road spanning between Tbilisi, Bakurtsikhe, Lagodekhi and the Azerbaijani border with the existing local network.
The Asian Development Bank is financing construction of the Bakurtsikhe-Tsnori road with GEL 87.8 million.
The infrastructure ministry has also said it is preparing to announce the tender for the construction of a 17 km Sagarejo-Badiauri road, adding the complete road network project for Kakheti would involve an investment of GEL 2 billion.
