What infrastructural projects are coming in Georgia in 2019?
Georgia’s Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Maia Tskitishvili has announced priority projects for 2019. Photo: Ministry of Infrastructure.
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Georgia’s Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure has announced its priority projects for 2019.
The most pressing issues are: the development of water supply and sewerage systems, road, education and tourism infrastructure; the prevention of natural disasters; regional and mountainous area development and strong governance.
Georgian Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Maia Tskitishvili, with Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze, summed up the main activities of her office in 2018 today and shared plans for 2019.
In total 1,400 projects worth 2 billion GEL (about $0.75b/€0.66b) will be implemented in Georgia in 2019.
To compare, last year about 1,200 projects worth 1.61 billion GEL (about $0.61b/€0.53b) were implemented.
Bakhtadze stated that the budget for the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development has been tripled since 2012, while compared to 2018 it has increased by 20% in 2019.
Representatives of Georgian government and business sector attended the presentation of up-coming projects. Photo: Ministry of Infrastructure.
Our task is to complete all major infrastructural projects by the end of 2022”, stated Bakhtadze, and thanked local as well as international donors for their contribution to the development of infrastructure in Georgia.
He singled out the European Commission’s new Indicative trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Investment Action Plan that identifies priority projects in Eastern Partnership countries, including in Georgia.
As for Georgia, 18 projects worth €3.5 billion will be implemented in the country in the framework of this project. The money will be spent on the construction of roads and rail lines, ports, airports, logistic centers and border checkpoints.
To provide a reliable and quality water supply for about 430,000 people in Georgia, 85 projects worth 282 million GEL (about $106.21m/€92.49m) will be implemented in 2019. These projects also include the development of the sewerage systems in the country.
Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Eight projects will be implemented in Georgia’s Kvemo Kartli region, 14 – in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, 10 – in Imereti, 17 – in Samtkhe-Javakheti, 8 – in Guria, 8 – in Shida Kartli, 16 – in Kakheti, 8 – in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, 3 – in Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti,
Continuous, quality water supply remains our main challenge and, therefore, the foremost priority”, said Regional Minister Tskitishvili.
Last year the Municipal Development Fund of Georgia completed projects worth 77 million GEL (about $29m/€25.25m), and improved water supply systems for about 100,000 people.
Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
What roads will be built in 2019?
This year the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure will mainly continue the construction of roads that were started in previous years. The plans also include construction of new roads.
The following roads will be built in Georgia this year:
- Batumi bypass road
- Zemo Osiauri-Chumateleti
- Samtredia-Grigoleti
- Two new lines for Kutaisi bypass road
- Grigoleti-Choloki
- Khevi-Ubisa (at Rikoti Pass)
- Ubisa-Shorapani (Rikoti Pass)
- Shorapani-Argveti (Rikoti Pass)
- Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel and road
- Chumateleti-Khevi section of road
- Anaklia road
Tskitishvili drew attention to the importance of constructing highways in Georgia and said that 938 million GEL (about $353.30m/€307.64m) has been allocated for the project in 2019.
Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Besides construction of main roads in the country, Tskitishvili also announced construction of mountain roads – Zemo Imereti – Racha and Baghdati-Abastumani.
Tskitishvili said that for the first time this year additional investments will be made for road safety measures. About 9 million GEL (about $3.39m/€2.95m) will be invested to introduce road safety norms on already existing roads, such as road signs, traffic islands and artificial barriers restricting speed.
Meanwhile, last year 617 projects were implemented to construct and repair road infrastructure in which 1.47 billion GEL was invested (about $0.55b/€0.48b). A 218-km-long road was repaired and 25 new bridges were built in 2018.
Spatial development and Georgian mountains
Last year development plans were created for Bakuriani, Didi Mitarbi, Mestia, Mulakhi, Ambrolauri, Nikortsminda, Tchrebalo, Shaori, Oni, Shovi, Utsera, Akhmeta, Tusheti, Poti, Telavi, Ushguli and Labarde.
Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
This year general development plans will be created for Mtskheta, Zugdidi, Borjomi, Surami, Pasanauri and Grigoleti towns.
Tskitishvili stated that the development of Georgian mountains is the government’s priority.
Georgia has a new mountain development strategy for 2019-2023 that is expected to help the country find the best use of its greatest wealth, its mountainous regions, for the development of the economy. Mountain Development Fund will allocate 20 million GEL (about $7.53m/€6.56m) annually for improving economic lives of mountain people.
Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
The major development of Georgian mountainous regions started with the launch of the Mountain Law in Georgia, which came into force in July 2016. Status of mountainous settlement is currently enjoyed by 1,730 settlements, benefiting 331,400 people.
About 400 families are remained without having electricity supply in the mountains. This year we will launch a project of providing solar panels to those families”, said Tskitishvili.
She also announced that 500 families living in 67 settlements of Pshav-Khevsureti and Gudamakhari gorges will have access to internet this year.
Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Development of municipal infrastructure
Tskitishvili talked about plans for developing the municipal infrastructure, which include arrangement of squares, hospitals, urban transport, administrative buildings, landfills. In total 550 projects worth 170 million GEL (about $64.03m/€55.76m) will be implemented in 2019.
More specifically the plans include:
- Construction of over 440 ambulatories worth 12 million GEL
- Repair of Tchiatura ropeway
- Mziuri Park renovation in capital of Tbilisi
- Renovation of Zugdidi botanical garden
Photo: Ministry of Infrastructure.
Tskitishvili also talked about waste management development in Georgia and announced that eight regional landfills, worth €26 million will be built in the country by the end of 2023, first of which will be built in Kutaisi. Following opening these regional landfills, the existing Soviet time landfills will be closed, she said.
Mziuri Japaridze, who owns a guesthouse in Mestia in the Georgian region of Svaneti, returned a large amount of money, electric and ID cards her Chinese visitor had earlier lost at the guesthouse.
Georgia’s National Communications Commission has launched an internet quality control tool.
The Kutaisi bypass road will be modernized as a 4-line highway, as work on the road has already begun.
Tbilisi City Hall has drafted a bill and sent it to parliament earlier today which makes several construction violations a criminal offence, which are currently only considered administrative violations. The violations which might become a criminal offence include violations in height parameters, illegal construction works, ignoring an official demand to suspend construction and several others.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze says that the government has increased funding of infrastructure projects by 20 per cent in 2019, which is the “highest figure” in the history of independent Georgia. Bakhtadze vowed that by 2022 Georgia will have “very modern infrastructure,” which will allow the government to further develop the economy and overcome poverty.
The Georgian Minister for Regional Development and Infrastructure Maia Tskitishvili says that although the Anaklia port is a “fully private project” the state contribution is “still high”. Tskitishvili says that overall the state has invested $250 million in the project, due to the importance of the Anaklia port for the country’s infrastructure.
2,440 households of internally displaced people (IDP) will be provided with housing in Zugdidi, Kutaisi and Tskaltubo in 2019-2020, announced the candidate for the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Maia Tskitishvili earlier today in parliament.
The Georgian Environmental Agency’s laboratory of atmospheric air, water and soil analysis have been provided with the latest water monitoring equipment by EU.
Various projects will be financed in Georgian municipalities by funds not used in 2019, says the Ministry of Infrastructure.
Infrastructure Minister Maia Tskitishvili has presented the annual 2020 for 2020 and discussed the activities the Georgian Ministry of Infrastructure carried out this year.