A slope of the Rikoti Pass had collapsed on March 13 due to a landslide. The incident occurred on the kilometer 10 section of the Ubisa-Shorapani road of the East-West Highway.
The Ministry of Infrastructure told BMG that the Chinese state company China Road and Bridge Corporation was building this section. The state budget would have to spend GEL 901,973,206 for the construction of the 13-km road section. The construction contract with the company was signed in November 2018.
The Department said professionals of the contractor company were working to clear the slope before resuming works on the road section.
Works at the location had envisaged a “complex strengthening of the slope”, however a “recent abundant rainfall” caused a landslide before the reinforcement works commenced, disintegrating a temporarily set up surface on the slope and damaging an outer concrete section, it added.
In total, Rikoti pass project considers construction of about 51.6 km road, which includes 96 bridges and 53 tunnels. The construction of the Rikoti pass section is divided into 4 sections: Chumateleti-Khevi section (I section) - 11.7 km, Khevi-Ubisa section (II section) - 12.2 km, Ubisa-Shorapani section (III section) - 13 km, Shorapani-Argveta section (IV section) - 14.7 km.
