Fresh landslide delays traffic on Georgia’s main highway

Motorists wanting to travel across the country are facing temporary delays after a fresh landslide blocked the country’s main highway.

The road is partly open and motorists travelling from Tbilisi to the west are able to pass along the road however traffic coming towards the capital city must use the bypass road, which was slightly longer in distance.

The road will be fully open once the road is cleaned, which is expected to be completed in the next few hours. Heavy rain today was believed to be the reason behind the landslide near Rikoti tunnel in central Georgia. 

This is the fourth time in recent months landslides have blocked the route. The road is one of Georgia’s main highways and connects the eastern part of the country with the west.

Officials said debris from the landslide blocked the Tbilisi-Senaki-Leselidze main highway. At this stage, only one direction of traffic is able to travel along the road. Vehicles travelling from the west to the east must use the bypass road of Gomi- Satchkhere- Chiatura-Zestafoni, the Roads Department said.

Three landslides hit the same spot about a month ago, which restricted road traffic for a week. In the first landslip, experts estimated around 2,000 cubic metres of mountain rock collapsed onto the road.