The construction of the new so-called friendship bridge on the Debeda River at the Saddlo-Bagratashen border crossing points of the state border of Georgia and the Republic of Armenia has been completed and the bridge is already serving the citizens of the two countries and its guests.

A new bridge at the border checkpoint was jointly built by Georgia and Armenia with the financial support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

"A new bridge on the Georgia-Armenia border has been put into operation, which will be the main checkpoint and will contribute to the development of trade and economic relations between the two countries. The mentioned bridge project is also unique in terms of implementation, as it was built jointly by 2 countries and is therefore a good example of how our friendship and brotherhood develops historically. The importance of the new bridge is even greater, based on the developments that we have in the direction of the East-West highway and including the centuries-old and historical projects that are being implemented in our country. Such a bridge is necessary for the development of the corridor, and therefore we already have it. It is planned to gradually open new sections this year and by the end of 2024, and by the end of 2024, all the main sections of the East-West highway will be in operation" - the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, Irakli Karseladze, said this after the official opening ceremony of the new road bridge near the Georgia-Armenia border, on the Debeda River. 

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development allocated up to 7.4 million euros to the two countries for the construction of the bridge.

From the side of Georgia, the Road department of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia led the construction.

The joint bridge construction is a unique project in the region. Taking into account that one part of the bridge is located on the territory of Georgia, and the other part is located on the territory of Armenia, the two states implemented the bridge construction project jointly. EBRD financing was also distributed equally between the two countries.

The new bridge is a 4-lane, 160-meter-long bridge with 2.4-meter-wide pedestrian sidewalks on both sides.

The bridge of new, modern standards and parameters will improve the quality of road safety both for citizens and visitors of the two countries, as well as for transit vehicles.

The old bridge at the Saddlo-Bagratasheni checkpoint was built in the 1960s, is narrow and amortized. Compared to the old bridge, the capacity of the new bridge will be doubled, which, under the conditions of effective border and customs services, will significantly increase both freight traffic and tourist traffic between the two neighboring countries, and will contribute to the further development of trade and economic relations.

International construction and supervision companies participated in the new bridge project. The construction of the bridge was carried out by the Iranian company - "Tunnel Sadd Ariana", and the construction was carried out by the Korean international company - JV of Soosung Engineering Co., Ltd and Korea Consultants International Co. Ltd - Supervised.