Unique Project: Georgia is building the longest tunnel to the border with Russia

Georgia is actively building the longest tunnel that will connect the country with Russia. According to the latest data, a 23-kilometer two-lane asphalt concrete road, including five bridges and five tunnels, is being developed as part of the project. The Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, Irakli Karseladze, said that the laying of the nine-kilometer Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel will be completed in February 2024, after which landscaping work will begin.

This tunnel is a key element in the Kvesheti-Kobi section, which is a bypass route for the Kobi-Gudauri section. In winter, this road is often at risk of avalanche collapses, which leads to its temporary closure. The construction of this tunnel on the so-called Georgian Military Road connecting Georgia and Russia is designed to provide safer and more reliable traffic, especially for trucks heading to the Verkhny Lars CCI.

At the moment, two of the five planned tunnels have already been dug, and the longest of them – nine kilometers in diameter of 15 meters – has already been laid for eight kilometers and 100 meters. Work is also actively carried out in other tunnels and on bridges, where supports and beams are installed.

This ambitious project, which includes not only tunnels, but also a new road, bridges and landscaping, represents one of the largest engineering enterprises in Georgia. Thanks to the new road, about 10 villages in the Khada gorge will remain connected to the outside world in winter, and transit traffic will no longer be limited to the winter period, which, in turn, will increase the tourist potential of the region.

Georgia has boldly undertaken the implementation of this project, which, according to the Director of the Central and West Asia Department of the Asian Development Bank, Yevgeny Zhukov, is one of the most important infrastructure projects implemented with active cooperation with Georgia.