BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr.30
By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the construction of the highway on the Rikoti Pass, a part of the East-West international highway, continues in intensive mode in Georgia, Trend reports with reference to the Department of Roads of the Ministry of Regional Development of Georgia.
"The construction work is carried out in accordance with the recommendations developed by the Ministry of Health on behalf of the current interdepartmental council, headed by the prime minister of Georgia," said the Department of Roads.
Currently, work is being carried out on the 11.7-kilometer long Chumateleti–Heavy section, 12.2-kilometer long Heavy–Ubisa section, 13-kilometer long Ubis–Shorapani, and 14.7-kilometer long Shorapani–Argvet section. In parallel, work is ongoing on construction 32 bridges and 25 tunnels.
Up to $1 billion will be spent on the project, said the department.
In the near future, work will begin on the fourth section of Shorapani – Argvet section. It is planned to build a road up to 51.6 kilometers in length at Rikoti Pass, which will include 96 bridges and 53 tunnels. The construction of the road should be completed in 2023.
A tunnel passes through the Rikoti Pass, which is located on the 143rd kilometer of the Tbilisi – Senaki – Leselidze international highway. The route of many transit cargos runs along this path.
The East-West highway carries more than 60 percent of external cargo. Improving this highway is very important for turning Georgia into a transport and logistics hub, which will contribute to the development of trade relations on the one hand with Central Asia and the Far East, on the other hand with Turkey and Europe.
The East-West route, or the E-60 European transit road, is the second largest European transit corridor that starts in Brest (France) and ends in Irkeshtam (Kyrgyzstan). In Georgia, the E-60 begins on the border with Azerbaijan and ends on the Black Sea coast, near the port of Poti. In Georgia, the length of the corridor is 392 km.
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