Construction works of 15.5km section (Gurjaani bypass) of Bakurtsikhe-Telavi-Akhmeta road was completed by the Roads Department of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia and traffic is free from today.

Gurjaani bypass road will connect Bakurtsikhe-Telavi-Akhmeta secondary road with Tbilisi-Bakurtsikhe-Lagodekhi international road. As a result of new road, vehicles moving in the direction of Gurjaani-Bakurtsikhe will no longer have to pass through the city of Gurjaani and the six villages of Gurjaani municipality: Bakurtsikhe, Kolagi, Dzirkoki, Chandari, Vejini and Chumlaki. The traffic flows that used to move through the territory of Gurjaani will be shifted to Gurjaani bypass road and this will be ecologically important for Gurjaani municipality as well as for the local population. The new road will halve the travel time.

The project was carried out with the financial support of the World Bank within the Third Secondary and Local Roads Project (SLRPIII)  and its cost is GEL 38 000 000.

In kakheti region, with support of Asian Development Bank, international bidding for construction of Bakurtsikhe-Tsnori bypass road has already been announced. The project considers construction of 16.6 km long 2-lane asphalt pavement road and 6 bridges. This section is a part of one of the main roads of Kakheti (Tbilisi-Bakurtsikhe-Lagodekhi) road. Mentioned section passes through densely populated area and is characterized by high intensity of transit movement. The new bypass road will be built in Alazani lowland, which will connect Tbilisi-Bakurtsikhe-Lagodekhi-Azerbaijan Border international road with the existing local road. The road is expected to bypass the densely populated village Tsnori and 6 surrounding villages (Bakurtsikhe, Kardanakhi, Anaga, Vakiri, Mashnaari, Sakobo and Tsnori). Construction of the new bypass road will be completed in 2 years after commencement of works.

Within the framework of the new 85km length Kakheti Highway Construction Project, the bidding for construction of Tbilisi-Sagarejo section has been announced by the Roads Department of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure.

A 35.2 km 4-lane asphalt-concrete road will be built on the Tbilisi-Sagarejo section, which is characterized by high traffic intensity. Highway construction will be financed by the State Budget. As for the design, highly qualified Austrian and American companies carried out the design of the Tbilisi-Sagarejo highway with the financial support of World Bank. Bidding for construction of Tbilisi-Sagarejo section was announced for 3lots.

On the basis of the engineering and financial analysis carried out by the Roads Department of Georgia, road construction is divided into lots in such a way that the local companies will be able to participate in bidding independently, as well as ensure high competition. Bid for construction of Lot 1(Vaziani bypass) will be conducted in accordance with the public procurement procedures and Georgian companies can participate in it independently. As a result of the next two large-scale lots (Vaziani-Sagarejo and Sagarejo Bypass road), free international procurement, particularly World Banks’s rules, is used for the procurement of works. In conditions of high competition, the best company will be selected. A FIDIC-type construction contract will be signed with the winner company. However, Georgian companies will be able to participate in the bid as Joint Ventures.  The traffic intensity on this section has significantly increased.  An existing road passes through densely populated villages and cities (Vaziani, Sartichala, Ninotsminda and Sagarejo). The construction of a new road will significantly improve traffic safety and expressively reduce the travel time on this section. The project will support the development of agriculture and tourism in Kakheti region and increase the competitiveness of transit corridor though Georgia.