Georgian PM opens 12-km section of Rikoti Highway, highlights benefits for country’s economy
Kobakhidze underscored the importance of the new road, saying “it will significantly enhance the competitiveness of the strategic international transport corridor passing through Georgia and bring even more benefits to our country's economy”. Photo: Gov't press office
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Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday announced the opening of a 12-km section of the 48-km, four-lane Rikoti Highway, making it part of the strategic East-West road route.
Kobakhidze underscored the importance of the new road, saying “it will significantly enhance the competitiveness of the strategic international transport corridor passing through Georgia and bring even more benefits to our country's economy”.
The PM further pointed out the advantages of the entire Rikoti Pass project.
“Rikoti is part of the European strategic road route, the East-West corridor, and opening traffic on each section significantly improves movement, reducing time and distance. This qualitatively new road for Rikoti’s tough terrain, which fully complies with modern standards, already shortens the travel distance by eight kilometres and cuts travel time in half, increasing capacity and transit freight turnover”, he said.
The Head of Government also highlighted the "increased pace" of road construction over the past 12 years, with around 300 km of highway built since 2012, while before that there had been only 68 kilometres of highway in the country. He also added that 49 tunnels and 88 bridges on the Rikoti section were already operational, which “showed the scale of works completed in such a short time”.
He also emphasised the “active” development of the international road corridors in the country and said to this effect, road transport was already using a 367-km highway in the territory of Georgia.
The construction of all ongoing sections will be completed “step by step” and next year travelling from Tbilisi to Batumi will take a “maximum of three hours”, Kobakhidze pointed out.
The PM earlier on Tuesday also announced the beginning of construction of the Anaklia deep sea port in the country’s Black Sea town to ensure increased logistical capability between Asia and Europe and unveiled the Kulevi oil refinery project on the Black Sea coast of the country, calling it the “largest private investment initiative in the history of independent Georgia”.