BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 12
Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
The construction of the Kvesheti-Kobi highway within the North-South transport corridor has started in Georgia, Trend reports referring to the Department of Roads of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia.
Using the Kvesheti-Kobi road, drivers will be able to bypass the most problematic section of Kobi-Gudauri on the Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Lars highway, which is often closed in winter due to the danger of avalanches.
"With the construction of the new Kvesheti-Kobi road, safe movement of all types of vehicles in the region will be possible at any time of the year," the department said.
The length of the Kvesheti-Kobi road will be about 23 kilometers. In addition to the two-lane asphalt road, the project includes building five bridges and five tunnels. One of the tunnels, nine kilometers long and 15 meters wide, will be dug under the Cross Pass - from the village of Tskere to the village of Kobi. It will become one of the most complex engineering structures in Europe.
The cost of the road construction project is 1.2 billion lari ($380.7 million). The construction is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The work is monitored by the international supervisory company UBM. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2024.
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