Tusheti road improvement project in north-east set to complete by 2025 - Roads Department

The Roads Department of Georgia on Thursday said “intensive works” on a 50.1-km section of the 72-km Pshavi-Abano-Omalo road, leading to north-eastern Georgia’s Tusheti highland region, would be completed by 2025 as part of efforts to improve road safety. 

The Pshavi-Omalo road is the only route to reach Tusheti, beginning in the village of Pshaveli in the Telavi municipality and connecting to Omalo via the Abano Pass.

The Ministry explained the project was divided into eight sections. Contracts had been formalised for six, covering up to 50 km of road safety improvement work at the cost of ₾51.6 million ($19 million). The works will commence on the remaining two 15-km sections in stages.

The body added the project involved rehabilitating the road's profile, installing a drainage system, culverts and artificial structures, fully restoring traffic control systems, widening the road bed and building guardrails.

The road was constructed in the 1960s and 1970s. It crosses the Abano Pass, which is located at an altitude of 2,950 metres above sea level. Due to tough terrain and meteorological conditions, the road is accessible for only four to five months each year.