All sections of Rikoti Pass will be safe, works carried out “according to plan” - Roads Department Chair
“The inspection of the construction project was carried out by international donor organisations and the post audit conclusion was positive. British, Australian, Italian experienced specialists participated in this process”, Tsereteli said, noting the project was supervised by French, Turkish and Korean supervisory companies. Photo via Roads Department of Georgia
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Giorgi Tsereteli, the Chair of the Roads Department of Georgia on Thursday said all sections of Rikoti Pass, a major crossing between eastern and western parts of Georgia, would be safe and all works were being carried out “according to the plan”.
Tsereteli responded to “negative” statements from domestic opposition, who alleged that the rehabilitation on the Pass was underway with “many violations”, and stressed that with these statements, the political groups “have been trying to instil fear in the public and discredit the mentioned project”, adding “Unfortunately, all the footage broadcasted in the media is old”.
Photo via Roads Department of Georgia
He emphasised that the construction and supervision companies of the Rikoti Pass project were selected through an international tender under the strict control of donors - the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the European Investment Bank.
The inspection of the construction project was carried out by international donor organisations and the post audit conclusion was positive. British, Australian, Italian experienced specialists participated in this process”, Tsereteli said, noting the project was supervised by French, Turkish and Korean supervisory companies.
Rehabilitation works are underway on 77 sections of the Rikoti Pass, Tsereteli noted, adding several geotechnical, geophysical and seismic studies had been conducted, based on which the design of the Pass was made.
Georgian Infrastructure Minister Irakli Karseladze on Tuesday said the landslide risks observed last month on the kilometre 149 section of the Rikoti Pass, a major crossing between the western and eastern parts of the country, had not been caused by the construction works on a new highway through the Pass.
The Interior Ministry of Georgia on Tuesday rejected recent media reports on vehicle traffic disruption on the Rikoti Pass section “for several days” as “misinformation”.
Construction of the new Rikoti Highway is set to be completed this year, the Roads Department of Georgia said on Monday while rejecting media reports that suggested the work had been delayed from its original deadline of 2022.
Vehicle traffic on Rikoti Pass, a major crossing between eastern and western parts of Georgia, was restored on Saturday under a “special regime”, with the recommendation of specialists, the Roads Department of Georgia said.
Georgian Infrastructure Minister Irakli Karseladze on Friday called the “false” accusations by the domestic opposition on the financial statements regarding the construction of Rikoti Highway “absolute nonsense” and said the International Financial Institution carried out money transfers itself.
Georgian Infrastructure Minister Irakli Karseladze on Monday rejected what he called “artificial fear and tension” around the construction of the Rikoti Highway in central Georgia as “groundless”, following claims by a part of the domestic opposition about environmental issues of the project and possibility of selection of contractor companies under international sanctions.
Traffic restrictions for light and passenger vehicles that had been imposed since April have been lifted at the Rikoti Pass, a major crossing between the eastern and western parts of Georgia, starting today.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Saturday said the opening of a 27-kilometre, four-lane section of Rikoti Pass, a major crossing between eastern and western parts of Georgia, which includes 65 bridges and 38 tunnels, would “facilitate movement” on the road.