THE STATE REPRESENTATIVE ADMINISTRATION

Giorgi Gakharia - By the end of the year we will open 70 km of the East-West Expressway on the 19-kilometer section of the Kutaisi bypass road, the construction of two new lanes has been completed and from today the traffic in both west and east directions will be one-way. - The newly built road was opened by the Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia together with the Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Maia Tskitishvili and the State Representative in Imereti, Zviad Shalamberidze. The construction of the remaining 22.3 km section of the road will be completed by the end of 2020, after which the Kutaisi bypass road will be fully four-lane and one-way in both directions. The Prime Minister noted that the project will significantly improve road safety and make it possible to use it in compliance with the expressway standard. The bypass road will relieve Kutaisi from the flow of vehicles heading west and will reduce travel time. "The issue of safety on this road has always been relevant and therefore this road has become one-sided and has created some discomfort for our citizens. The 19-kilometer section of this road was opened today, by the end of the year this road will be fully open, which, along with comfort, will be a great guarantee of safety for our citizens and visitors to the country. This is unequivocally the most important junction of the Red Bridge-Sarpi Highway and 70 kilometers of this highway will be opened this year, which will save time as well as guarantee safety for the citizens. We will open another section of Samtredia-Grigoleti in a week. This summer, we will open the Khashuri bypass road, which has been the biggest inconvenience for our population for years, and by the New Year we will open a total of 70 kilometers of east-west highway,"  - said Prime Minister. To improve traffic safety, the Georgian government has funded the construction of two new lanes from the state budget, which will be fully completed by the end of 2020. The cost of the project is up to 200 255 000 GEL. "A significant section of the Kutaisi bypass road, 19 km long, has been opened, which has allowed us to restore traffic on both sides, which, of course, will reduce traffic in central road of Kutaisi. Our citizens who move west or east will have their travel period reduced," said Zviad Shalamberidze, the state representative in Imereti.