Construction of the 23-kilometer Kvesheti-Kobi road is progressing, with the project expected to be completed and opened to traffic in 2028. The Roads Department said work on the arch of the project’s most complex structure - a 426-meter-long, 166-meter-high bridge - is nearing completion. A new 5-kilometer road to Gudauri is also expected to be completed this year.
The project is divided into two main construction lots. China Railway Tunnel Group Co is building the 9-kilometer main tunnel and a parallel evacuation tunnel under a GEL 902 million contract. Both tunnels have already been fully excavated, while interior finishing, electromechanical and ventilation systems are now being installed. Once completed, the main tunnel will be the longest in Georgia.
The second, 12.7-kilometer section is being built by China Railway 23rd Bureau Group Co under a GEL 317 million contract. The works include five new bridges, four tunnels and rehabilitation of one existing bridge. One of the five new bridges has already been completed, while construction of the 426-meter arch bridge is ongoing. Most of the remaining work is concentrated on this section.
The project includes a new two-lane asphalt-concrete road, five bridges, five tunnels and the rehabilitation of one existing bridge. Once completed, travel from Kvesheti to Kobi is expected to take around 15 minutes, while the trip from Tbilisi to Gudauri will take about 1.5 hours. The total project cost is approximately GEL 1.2 billion, financed with $415 million from the Asian Development Bank and $60 million from the EBRD.
