Infrastructure Minister: new tunnel to “keep 10 villages connected to outside world” during winter
Georgian Infrastructure Minister Irakli Karseladze said residents of 10 villages of the Khadi valley would be able to “maintain their connection with the outside world” during adverse winter season thanks to a newly carved Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel. Photo: Ministry of Infrastructure
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Georgian Infrastructure Minister Irakli Karseladze on Tuesday said residents of 10 villages of the Khadi valley would be able to “maintain their connection with the outside world” during adverse winter season thanks to a newly carved Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel, the longest in the country, built to facilitate reduced travel time on the domestic North-South Corridor.
Karseladze was speaking at an event marking the completion of the construction of the tunnel, and said the milestone meant the road served by it would “always remain open, ensuring physical connection between municipalities”.
The new road will grant residents access to necessary services and amenities”, he added, noting the project was also important from the engineering perspective through its use of the TBM boring machine, designed specifically for this project.
The hardware cut the 9-kilometre-long and 15-metre-wide tunnel in a rocky terrain, the Ministry of Infrastructure noted, adding now the construction of the evacuation tunnel was underway and had been advanced to 7,730 metres.
Karseladze highlighted development partners in the project, including the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Roads Department of Georgia and contractor and supervisory companies.
Photo: Ministry of Infrastructure
The overall project includes the construction of a 23-km long, two-lane asphalt and concrete road with a lighting system, five bridges and five tunnels, as well as the renovation of one bridge. Additionally, a new 5-km-long road to Gudauri and a tourist centre will be built.
The construction of the road is scheduled to be completed in stages between 2024-2025.
Why it is important for Georgia?
Construction of the longest tunnel in Georgia, 9-km long and 15-m in width Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel, has started today, announces the Ministry of Infrastructure. The tunnel will be carved with the tunnel boring machine which was specially made for the construction of the Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel. The Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel starts at Tskere village and ends at Kobi village, and will pass under Jvari pass. Overall, construction of 2-lane 23 km long asphalt-concrete road, five bridges and five tunnels is planned on Kvesheti-Kobi road, including renovation of one more tunnel.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday attended an event celebrating the completion of the construction of the Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel, the longest in the country built to facilitate reduced travel time on the domestic North-South Corridor, by saying its opening marked a “historic moment” for the development of road infrastructure in the country.
Construction is underway for the Kvesheti-Kobi road and tunnel section in Georgia’s north, with the section forming a part of the North-South corridor in the central part of the country.
A new 1.5-km-long section has been added to the Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel - a 9-km-long and 15-metre-wide tunnel, the largest in Georgia - as part of works on the North-South Road Corridor, the Ministry of Infrastructure said on Friday.