[GE] Highways in Georgia • საქართველო

[ChrisZwolle]

Interesting. But is this really a motorway? I mean, the area between Tbilisi and Telavi is mountainous. Is there a map of this motorway? I can't find a trace of it on Google Earth.

[RelaxInPireaus]

no it is not a motorway. it is a 2 lane sigle carriageway only as most roads in Georgia. it was badly damaged and closed for many years so it is nice to see it re-opened.

[Kokoity]

Transport Prospects in Georgia
By Messenger Staff
Tuesday, October 5
Georgia's passenger transport network consists of around 2000 intercity and domestic routes covering a total of more than 7000 km and serving almost 300 million passengers annually. This makes up around 60% of the country's overall passenger transportation. There are approximately 15,000 buses in Georgia, of which 12,700 are marshrutkas (minibuses), the rest are medium and large buses. The fleet is rather old, most of the transport means are 10-15 year old. In the capital there are currently around 7000 minibuses operating on the supply and demand principle. The state is presently trying to improve the old infrastructure. There have been a number of serious accidents involving passenger buses. The figures are disturbing and the state has started to take extra measures. Apart from building and reconstructing new roads with proper pavements from this autumn, in line with common practice in most of Europe and the US, the use of passenger safety belts will become obligatory.

http://www.messenger.com.ge/issues/2..._econ_one.html

[Kokoity]

Vaziani-Gombori-Telavi

[Kokoity]

[Kokoity]

MCC to assess results on the ground
27 October 2010

To see progress on Georgia’s USD 395.3 million compact focused on rehabilitation of key regional infrastructure and developing of enterprises in rural Georgia, Daniel W. Yohannes, Chief Executive Officer of US government-supported Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) paid a 3-days visit to Georgia.
The MCC supported five-year compact of Millennium Challenge Georgia Fund (MCG) started in 2006 and is designed to reduce poverty and stimulate economic growth in region via five projects as following: energy infrastructure rehabilitation project, regional infrastructure development project, Samtskhe-Javakhseti road rehabilitation project, Agribusiness Development Activity (ADA), and Georgia regional development fund project.
Via these five projects the USD 395.3 million compact will rehabilitate key regional infrastructure by improving transportation for regional trade, ensuring reliable supply of energy, and improving the delivery of regional and municipal services. In addition, the program will develop enterprises by funding investment and increasing productivity in farms, agribusinesses, and other enterprises to increase jobs and rural income.
The MCG compact nears to completion and MCC CEO visited Georgia to assess whether or not the money of US tax-payers is spent effectively. During his stay in Georgia from October 20 to 22 of 2010 Mr. Yohannes met with Mikheil Saakashvili, the President of Georgia, and Nika Gilauri, the Prime Minister of Georgia.
MCC CEO travelled to Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti, southern regions of Georgia, to see progress on the road project. The MCC-funded Samtkshe-Javakheti Road Rehabilitation Project (of USD 203.5 million worth project) intends to improve the transportation network in two regions by rehabilitating 220 kilometres of road connecting central Georgia to Turkey and Armenia.
Samtskhe-Javakheti region, a famous tourist haunt [for the region is rich in historical monuments tracing back to early Christianity epoch]] as well as one of the potential parts of Georgia from agriculture and cattle breeding point of view has been completely torn from the other parts of Georgia due to absence of road infrastructure. Now it is supposed to be fully integrated in the social and economic life of the country after the 223-kilometers long road will be rehabilitated. And if one needs 9 hour to travel to the region in question at the moment, the time is expected to be cut down to 3 hours thus enabling local population to supply the rest part of Georgia with their high quality product on the one hand, and encourage tourists inflow to the region famous with picturesque scenes as well.
The US Ambassador to Georgia John Bass, along with top Georgian officials and Millennium Challenge Georgia (MCG) CEO George Abdushelisvhili, accompanied the high guest in the trip. The delegation stressed on importance of Samtskhe-Javakheti region particularly.
“This is an important project. This is a Samtskhe-Javakheti road, a new road, which starts from Tbilisi and passes through Tsalka and reaches Samtskhe-Javakheti region… It also crosses two borders, of Ninotsminda and Kartsakhi. In fact, this road enables the Region to more actively involve in economic activities” , Kakha Baindurashvili, Minister of Finances of Georgia, stated at the Cave City of Vardzia press event on October 21, 2010.
According to the US Ambassador, activities carried out in terms of infrastructure and business development enables to witness direct benefit imposed to people of different regions of Georgia.
“I would particularly emphasize the Samtskhe-Javakheti region. After completing the [Samtkshe-Javakheti Road Rehabilitation] Project, the Javakheti population will be able to link to both the capital and the neighboring countries [Armenia and Turkey] that, in the end, will lead to Georgia’s growth,” he said.
The delegation also visited agribusinesses and beneficiaries of MCG’s USD 20.2 million Agribusiness Development Activity located along the newly rehabilitated road and met the beneficiaries of the Borjomi and Bakuriani municipal water supply projects funded through the Regional Infrastructure Development Project (USD 57.7 million) managed by the Municipal Development Fund of Georgia.
The MCG initial compact was USD 295 million but USD 100 million was allocated in the wake of the August war of 2008 to support Georgia to shoot aftermaths of the war. And total budget became USD 395 million. Georgian Prime Minister who held a press conference at the Government Chancellery of Georgia after his meeting with the MCC CEO on October 22, 2010 accentuated that these funds have been used for implementation of number of important projects - for energy and road infrastructure rehabilitation, as well as for agriculture and small business development that create additional 3 thousand new jobs.
“This is a huge support of the US Government to the Georgian Government provided by MCC for the whole of this period and I would like to thank, first of all, Mr. Yohannes and everyone who has taken part in this Project”, Gilauri stated at press-conference on October 22, 2010.
The MCC CEO gave a positive assessment to the MCG compact implementation.
“I would like to thank the President of Georgia, the Prime Minister of Georgia and the whole Georgian government for all those results that I personally saw on the ground. For all these achievements I extend the gratitude on behalf of the President Obama and the US Government. The US grant funds were used for the road, energy, agriculture and small business development. Sustainability of the projects funded by us is guaranteed as long as beneficiaries, meaning people that we gave funds to, will continue receiving income from their businesses for additional 8 years”, Mr. Yohannes deduced.
Author: Nino Patsuria

http://georgianjournal.ge/index.php?...onomy&Itemid=6

[Kokoity]

[Kokoity]

Georgian president opened new motorway to Samtskhe-Javakheti
15.11.10
President of Georgia attended the presentation of a new motorway from Tbilisi to Samtskhe-Javakheti Region. Mikheil Saakashvili went to the presentation in Teleti settlement today together with the First Lady and drove the car himself.
This is a new 203 km-long road, which has shortened the route from the capital to the Southern Region of the country. The road was constructed in accordance with international standards. It took two years to finish the construction works. If earlier, it took eight hours to arrive from Tbilisi to Akhaltsikhe, the regional centre of Samtskhe-Javakheti, the time has been reduced to two hours and a half.
The de tour road meets international standards; 209 million dollar was spent on the construction works. Within the project, 15 bridges have been reconstructed and the drainage systems were arranged.
US ambassador to Georgia and other authorities attended the presentation in Teleti today. The construction works were funded by the US government and the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

http://rustavi2.com/news/news_text.p...main&ct=0&wth=

[Kokoity]

Tiflis - Mzcheta

[Varzuga]

Thank you, Kokoity

Beautiful video!

[Need4Weed]

Is there a plan to connect ports of Poti and Batumi with Tbilisi by a motorway in the near future, and is there a plan to upgrade the Georgian military road to a full motorway? For me, a connection south of the Caucasus mountain range would be much more logical, since it would be relatively immune from potential Russian agression, and more easily defendable. For example it could go through Borjomi and Vale, andthen to Batumi, Ureki and Poti.

[Kokoity]

Here is the link to the new Georgia forum.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2839

[ChrisZwolle]

Road signage in Georgia:

[Verso]

No tanks?

[Norsko]

So many (not pretty) fonts and styles. Those map-like Soviet signs feels a bit to much for me. A "European fork" or a Swiss stack usually does the job.

[Kokoity]

Adjara Bypass Road ბათუმის და ქობულეთის შემოვლითი გზა

[Kokoity]

Kobuleti Bypass

The Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia Mr. Ramaz Nikolaishvili and the chairman of the Government of Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Mr. Levan Varshalomidze visited the rehabilitation works of a segment of the Kobuleti bypass (with length 12.4 km - meter) of Ajara bypass road. The Auto Road Department of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia implemented the construction works.

This section will be covered with asphalt - concrete cover. Railroad crossing Estacada will be built; three transportation nodes will be arranged. 5 bridges and 5 passages through the dry ravine will be constructed. Artificial structures, retaining walls, drainage systems and appropriate infrastructure will be arranged. The land works, works of removing the vegetation and arrangement works of the piles on the one of the bridges (at the chekpoint 15+84) is being implemented currently. Kobuleti bypass will be begun near the village Natanebi (Ozurgeti district), will go through the village Ochkhamuri nd will be end in Makhinjauri.

The road is very important because after of its construction, the resort town Kobuleti will be unloaded from transit traffic at all, and it will contribute to environmental improvement and comfortable movement of tourists.

The project includes modernization of Chakvi -Makhindjauri 2 lines road (with length 2.3 km), to 4 lines highway. The project of construction of Ajara bypass includes construction of Batumi bypass road as well.

Construction of Kobuleti bypass road and modernization of Chakvi - Makhindjauri road is financed by the Asian Development Bank and the cost of 114.5 million GEL. Almost 1000 people will be employed by the project as directly as indirectly, and 70% of them will be the local population.

http://mrdi.gov.ge/?page=news1&id=282&lang=2

[Kokoity]

President viewes new motorway construction works
10.06.11
At the end of November 2011, the construction of a new fast-speed motorway will connect Ruisi and Sveneti sector of the main highway. The president of Georgian Mikheil Saakashvili viewed the rehabilitation works of a 15 km-long section of the way today. President also attended the process of tunnel digging, which is 800 meter in length. President drove the tractor, which cut the final part of the tunnel.
President also viewed the infrastructure along the motorway - a resting point which was constructed by Wissol Georgia Company. The construction works are almost over; only cosmetic works are underway currently. One hundred people are employed at the construction.

http://rustavi2.com/news/news_text.p...main&ct=0&wth=

[wojnowianin]

Does it make any sense to put thousands kilometers away cities like Istanbul on the signposts?

[ed110220]

Originally Posted by wojnowianin

Does it make any sense to put thousands kilometers away cities like Istanbul on the signposts?

No, surely the proportion of drivers here heading as far as Istanbul will be a tiny fraction. I think perhaps people like to add these extremely distant destinations for the novelty value or to try and add importance to the scheme.