BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 25
By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $278 million loan in euro equivalent to construct and rehabilitate about 30 kilometers of main and secondary roads between towns of Shorapani and Argveta on Georgia’s East–West Highway, Trend reports referring to ADB.
The East–West Highway, which is part of Corridor 2 of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program, is a lifeline for Georgia’s economy. It represents 30 percent of the country’s international road network carrying more than 60 percent of national foreign trade and serving over 13,000 vehicles daily.
The road network is integral to Georgia’s objective of becoming a regional transport and logistics hub for trade and commerce between Europe, Central Asia and East Asia, and a popular tourism destination.
“This project supports the government’s ongoing commitment to improve its infrastructure, particularly roads and highways, to fast track the country’s development,” said ADB Senior Transport Specialist for Central and West Asia Valerie Lisack.
Meanwhile, the Georgian government has made road improvement a priority in its 2018–2021 action plan, allocating about 72 percent of the total budget for the country’s infrastructure development. Upgrading core regional roads and road safety is also a priority for country.
ADB’s East–West Highway (Shorapani–Argveta Section) Improvement Project will help construct 14.7 km of access-controlled, dual two-lane carriageway - partly on a new alignment - between Shorapani and Argveta. This will make it easier for vehicles to traverse the mountainous terrain, ravines, and river crossings in the area. It will also rehabilitate about 15 km of secondary roads connected to the East–West Highway network.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
ADB has supported Georgia since 2007 and is one of the country’s largest multilateral development partners. Sovereign and non-sovereign loans to Georgia to date total to about $2.8 billion.
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