Abastumani bypass road to open in Georgia’s south-west next year
Construction of the 16 km Abastumani bypass road in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of south-west Georgia will be completed in 2023. Photo: Ministry of Infrastructure
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Construction of the 16 km Abastumani bypass road in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of south-west Georgia will be completed in 2023, Georgian Infrastructure Minister Irakli Karseladze announced on Wednesday.
Construction of three new bridges, earthworks and retaining walls is underway on the seventh km section of the bypass road, with 60 percent of artificial structures and 95 percent of the earthworks completed, while the drilling of a 368-metre tunnel for the road, at a depth of 270 metres, is underway, the Minister said.
Photo: Ministry of Infrastructure
The ₾45 million ($15 mln) project will connect Samtskhe-Javakkheti with the western region of Imereti in a bid to improve tourist access to the popular destinations. The bypass road project is part of the Bagdati-Abastumani road project, which aims to reduce travel distance and time from the central part of Georgia to the border with Turkey in the west.
Karseladze said a 20 km section of the Bagdati-Abastumani road would be completed this year.
Photo: Ministry of Infrastructure
"Upgraded Bagdati-Abastumani route will enable the regions of Imereti, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Adjara to be connected by the shortest road. The benefit from the new road is important not only for these regions but also for the whole country”, he said.
“Traffic will be relieved in the Abastumani borough and the country will have a unique, environmentally friendly and attractive resort. In the end, as a result of the construction of the mentioned road, it will be possible to travel from Kutaisi Airport to Abastumani in 2.5 hours instead of four, which will significantly increase the flow of tourists", Karseladze said.
Construction works are also underway for a parking lot for up to 770 vehicles near the entrance to Abastumani.
Roads Department of the Georgian Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development reports that after cleaning the roads traffic restrictions have been fully lifted on Rikoti Pass, while movement is prohibited for trailers and semi-trailers on the 39-26 kilometre road section of Nakerela Pass due to the heavy snow and ice.
Georgian Infrastructure Minister Maia Tskitishvili has presented new projects today that will be implemented in Georgia this year. The new projects are mainly related to the renovation of schools and roads in Georgia.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has announced that the government will issue GEL 10 million for the rehabilitation of Abastumani observatory in the Georgian region of Samtskhe-Javakheti.
Seven families have been left homeless by a fire which destroyed a two-storey historic house on Asatiani Street in Georgia’s resort town of Abastumani on June 20.
Rehabilitation of roads continues in western Georgia, where about 600 kilometres of roads are planned to be updated this year, the Georgian Infrastructure Minister Irakli Karseladze said on Tuesday.
The Roads Department of Georgia has won three disputes in the French international arbitration against construction companies contracted for work on the first and third sections of the Samtredia-Grigoleti and Zemo Osiauri-Chumateleti sections of the E-60 East-West Highway in the country, the Infrastructure Ministry announced on Friday.
Renovation of a two-kilometre section of the Tsagveri-Timotesubani-Tadzari highway in central Georgia’s Borjomi Municipality is “actively underway", the Roads Department of Georgia announced on Friday.
Topics related to the development of Abastumani resort in Georgia's south-west were on Monday discussed between the Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili and Infrastructure Minister Irakli Karseladze on the one hand, and businesses working to overhaul the location on the other.