New section added to Georgia’s longest tunnel with “90% of work completed” - Infrastructure Ministry
A new 1.5-km-long section has been added to the Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel - a 9-km-long and 15-metre-wide tunnel, the largest in Georgia. Photo: Ministry of Infrastructure
Tweet 
Share
A new 1.5-km-long section has been added to the Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel - a 9-km-long and 15-metre-wide tunnel, the largest in Georgia - as part of works on the North-South Road Corridor, the Ministry of Infrastructure said on Friday.
The Ministry said the addition meant over 8 km of the tunnel had already been dug in the first section of the project, in addition to a third tunnel, with works on others “actively underway”.
At this stage, about 90 percent of the work is completed. The new 9-km-long tunnel will be the longest in Georgia and one of the most unique in the world”, the body added, noting the new section had been cut using hardware specially built for the purpose of the infrastructure.
Georgian Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili visited the construction site together with Masatsugu Asakawa, the President of the Asian Development Bank.
Visited the construction site of @ADB_HQ funded project (more than 1 Billion GEL) Kvesheti-Kobi Tunnel together with @ADBPresident today. 8 km already ✅ out of 9km.#Grateful to our #partners for supporting the #vital #infrastructure of ???????? pic.twitter.com/UGhP26R7Dj
— Lasha Khutsishvili ???????? (@Lasha_Khutsish) December 1, 2023
The Kvesheti-Kobi road project involves construction of a two-lane, 23-km-long asphalt and concrete road, five new and one renovated bridges and five tunnels.
The road passes through a difficult geographical route and is characterised with heavy snowfalls in the winter period. The road passes through Gudauri ski resort, crosses Jvari Pass and ends at Kobi village.
Watch documentary about the Kvesheti-Kobi road project.
It is projected to benefit 10 villages along the route that are often closed to traffic in winter due to avalanche hazard and adverse weather, with residents isolated from the outside world.
The Ministry said construction of a new “climate-resilient”, two-lane road and the 9-km-tunnel would address pending issues and ensure unhindered transit traffic year-round.
After the completion of the new road, traffic in the direction of Kobi will no longer be restricted in the winter, the population of up to 10 villages in the Khada Valley will maintain their connection with the outside world and have unhindered access to all necessary services”, it added.
The tunnel is being carved with the tunnel boring machine which was specially made for the construction of the Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel.
The distance between Kvesheti and Kobi will be reduced by 11 km from the current 34 km, with travel time down to 15 minutes instead of the current 1 hour.
Travel time from [the Georgian capital city of] Tbilisi to Gudauri will be 1 hour and 30 minutes instead of 2 hours, and it will take 1 hour and 45 minutes to travel from Tbilisi to [the northern town of] Stepantsminda, instead of 2 hours and 30 minutes”, the Ministry said.
The body added construction of a 5-km-long road leading to Gudauri and establishing a visitor centre to support tourism activities was also planned as part of the project.
- Famous Georgian Gudauri resort expanding: Kobi-Gudauri cable car first link in chain of improvements
Photo: Ministry of Infrastructure
The construction of the Kvesheti-Kobi section is financed by the Asian Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, with the total cost of ₾1.2 billion ($0.45bln).
The project is due to be completed by 2024.
A 1,800-metre-long tunnel dug during ongoing works on Rikoti Pass, a major crossing between eastern and western parts of Georgia, is the longest found across the country, the Ministry of Infrastructure said on Wednesday.
Construction is underway for the Kvesheti-Kobi road and tunnel section in Georgia’s north, with the section forming a part of the North-South corridor in the central part of the country.
Why it is important for Georgia?
Construction of the longest tunnel in Georgia, 9-km long and 15-m in width Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel, has started today, announces the Ministry of Infrastructure. The tunnel will be carved with the tunnel boring machine which was specially made for the construction of the Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel. The Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel starts at Tskere village and ends at Kobi village, and will pass under Jvari pass. Overall, construction of 2-lane 23 km long asphalt-concrete road, five bridges and five tunnels is planned on Kvesheti-Kobi road, including renovation of one more tunnel.
The European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved $60 million to co-finance the construction of the 9-km long Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel, which forms part of the North-South corridor.
Georgian Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili and Infrastructure Minister Irakli Karseladze on Friday discussed cooperation with the Asian Development Bank during a meeting with the Bank’s President Masatsugu Asakawa.
Georgia’s Municipal Development Fund has become the first institution to be granted the right to make state procurements for projects supported by the Asian Development Bank, the country’s Ministry of Infrastructure said on Wednesday.