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.
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.
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 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.
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.