88 bridges, 51 tunnels being built to speed up travel over Rikoti Pass
The ₾2.6 billion ($859mln/€814mln) project is set to be completed by 2024 and seeks to modernise the country's road network, bringing it in line with modern standards. The Department said the works were underway on the “most difficult” geographical route and involved complex engineering structures. Photo: Roads Department of Georgia
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Construction works on 88 bridges and 51 tunnels are “actively underway” at the Rikoti Pass, a mountain section dividing Georgia into its eastern and western parts, the Roads Department announced on Tuesday.
The state body said the works were intended to speed up travel across the Pass, with an “almost doubled” traffic speed anticipated on some sections. It also revealed 16 out of 51 tunnels had already been drilled and three tunnels and six bridges were completed.
A total of 51.6 km of new roads are being built over the Rikoti Pass, with construction works divided into four sections:
- Chumateleti-Khevi 11.6 km section
- Khevi-Ubisa 12.2 km section
- Ubisa-Shorapani 13 km section
- Shorapani-Argveta 14.7 km section
The two-kilometre, two-lane Khevi-Ubisa section of the highway was opened in September last year and included six bridges and three tunnels.
Over 4,000 people are currently employed in the construction projects for the Pass, of which about 68 percent are Georgian citizens.
The ₾2.6 billion ($859mln/€814mln) project is set to be completed by 2024 and seeks to modernise the country's road network, bringing it in line with modern standards. The Department said the works were underway on the “most difficult” geographical route and involved complex engineering structures.