Kvesheti-Kobi Road Project - About The Project

The total budget of the Kvesheti-Kobi road project is 1.240 billion GEL.

The construction is funded by the Asian Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The project fully meets the relevant international standards.

 

Kvesheti-Kobi road project plans to:

  • Build 23-km long, 2 lanes, asphalt-concrete road
  • Build 5 bridges
  • Renovate 1 bridge
  • Build 5 Tunnels

 

The total length of the tunnels is 11.5 km. The longest tunnel is 9 km long and 15 meters in diameter. With these parameters this tunnel will be among the most unique tunnels in the world. The tunnel will start in the village Tskere and end in the village Kobi. The rest of the tunnels will be relatively small (1541 m, 194 m, 388 m and 299 m).

The total length of the bridges is 1.6 km. One of them will be a 426 m long and 166 m high arched bridge, which is the most difficult engineering construction. Its arch is 285 meters long and, at this stage, has no analogues in Georgia. The project also includes the construction of relatively small (322 m, 218 m, 148 m and 42 m) bridges.

In addition to the main road infrastructure components, a visitor center will be established under the project. This facility will act as a potential center for agribusiness, conservation, ecotourism development and community sustainable development in the project area. The visitor center is a component of the project through which the residents of Khada valley will directly benefit from the project.

The Kvesheti-Kobi road project will benefit both the state and the local population.

 

  • Transit cargo traffic will be possible at any time of the year, which will increase transit potential of Georgia;
  • The risk of road accidents will be reduced;
  • Travel costs and time will be reduced;
  • Travel time from Kvesheti to Kobi will be reduced to 15 minutes instead of 1 hour;
  • The new road will be open for 12 months, all seasons
  • Separating transit traffic on the new road by redirecting particularly heavy vehicles currently passing through Gudauri and other settlements will significantly improve safety and reduce disturbances.

The Kvesheti-Kobi road will bring economic benefits to the local population in terms of increasing trade and developing tourism in various directions.

 

  • Up to 600 people will be employed in the road construction process, most of whom will be local residents;
  • During the project, employed people will need food and shelter, which will create new jobs and indirectly employ many locals;
  • New tourist destinations will be created, which will be interesting and attractive for both tourists and investors;
  • A 5 km access road to Gudauri and a tourist center will be built. This will make it more comfortable and safe to move around and will attract tourists;
  • The project scope also includes social activities and trainings so that the local population can benefit from the increased tourism due to the improved infrastructure;
  • A visitor center will be established within the project. This facility will act as a potential center for agribusiness, conservation, ecotourism development and community sustainable development in the project area. The visitor center is a component of the project through which the people of Khada valley will directly benefit from the project and its aim will be to promote conservation and sustainable ecotourism in the region;

 

The Kvesheti-Kobi road project will support the development of tourist destinations such as Kazbegi National Park, impressive gorges and beautiful villages.

 

In addition to the economic benefits, social services will be available as a result of the project. The new road area will include 10 villages: Kvesheti, Arakhveti, Zakatkari, Beniani, Begoni, Sviana, Rostiani, Mugure, Tskere and Kobi. Residents of these villages are disconnected from the outside world for almost 100 days a year.

 

  • As a result of the project, the living conditions of locals will improve;
  • The new road will revive the region. Grocery stores, pharmacies and medical care will be available for everyone;
  • Local residents will have the opportunity and conditions to return to the valley and develop small businesses;
  • New roads and tunnels will increase access to the area during all seasons. Safety will be provided for visitors, foreign or local tourists.

In order to avoid any impact on the local population, the environment and the cultural heritage sites in the valley during the construction of the road, a Tunnel Building Machine TBM was made in China specifically for this project. This machine is used for the largest tunnel which is 9 km long and 15 m in diameter. TBM is the most modern, sophisticated method with minimal noise and therefore has the least impact on the environment as the vibration is minimized.

 

The contractor construction company is required to develop a site-specific environmental management plan. The contractor will constantly monitor the process and if the vibration or noise level exceeds the standard, mitigation measures will be taken, for example, reducing the impact of noise and vibration using various equipment or working methods.

 

When building small tunnels, open tunneling and drilling-blasting methods will be used. The detailed methodology will be defined and chosen on site to minimize the impact on the natural and social environment.