New highway connecting Georgia and Russia to be commissioned in 2028

ArmInfo. The new Kvesheti-Kobi highway, which will connect Georgia and Russia parallel  to the Georgian Military Highway, will be commissioned in 2028.   According to TASS, Georgian Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Mzia  Giorgobiani announced this in a speech in parliament.

"The project is scheduled for completion by 2028. The road will be  commissioned within 2028," Giorgobiani said.

According to her, the new highway is being built in two lots. The  first lot is a nine-kilometer tunnel, which was dug in 2024. The  ministry is currently completing finishing work on the tunnel. The  second lot is the access road to the tunnel, which is 12.7 kilometers  long. At this stage, construction is underway on four tunnels and  five new bridges. Another bridge will be renovated.

Earlier, Georgian Infrastructure Minister Revaz Sokhadze, speaking in  parliament, announced that the road leading to Russia would open in  2027.

The existing section of the Kvesheti-Kobi road is 35 km long and runs  in the north of the country through the Gudauri ski resort near the  Upper Lars border crossing on the Georgian-Russian border. In winter,  the road is frequently closed due to adverse weather conditions and  the risk of avalanches. The villages of Kvesheti and Kobi are planned  to be connected by a 23 km route, including six bridges and five  tunnels.  After completion, travel time between Tbilisi and Gudauri  will be reduced by 30 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, and from Tbilisi  to Stepantsminda, near the Russian border, it will take 1 hour 45  minutes instead of the previous 2.5 hours. The  Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Lars road is an important route leading from  Russia to Armenia through Georgia. Traffic along the northern  sections of the road is regularly suspended during the winter due to  avalanche danger.