THE STATE REPRESENTATIVE ADMINISTRATION

The Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia and the State Representative in Imereti got acquainted with the ongoing works at the Rikoti Pass

In total, the construction of a 4-lane expressway with a length of 52 km, which includes 97 bridges and 51 tunnels, is planned to build. At this stage, construction works are being carried out simultaneously on all tunnels. In total, out of 51 tunnels, 37 tunnels have already been cut, of which 3 completed tunnels are already used by vehicles. Out of 97 bridges, work is going on simultaneously on 91 bridges, out of which 52 have already been built. Road transport is already using 6 completed bridges.

The construction of the Rikoti pass section is divided into 4 sections (Chumateleti-Khevi section; Khevi-Ubisa section; Ubisa-Shorapani section; Shorapani-Argveta section). The new road meets all modern road safety standards.

"The construction works of two important sections of the Rikoti highway have practically come to an end, which will contribute to making this section more capable. Next year, when the Rikoti project and the Zestafoni bypass will be completely completed, the cargo turnover will increase and the passenger flow will increase, which will be directly proportional to the development of the Imereti region" - Zviad Shalamberidze.

"Rikoti century project is actively underway. We visited all sections. The Khevi-Ubisa and Ubisa-Shorapani sections have been exceptionally advanced, where by the end of the year we will have 87% and 83% of the planned progress, and accordingly, we plan to complete the construction of approximately 11 km to 15 km of the road" - said the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia Irakli Karseladze, after inspecting the ongoing works on all sections.

According to the minister, large-scale projects are always accompanied by various challenges. It will be geological, in the form of landslides, meteorological, supply of raw materials or others.

"For example, we faced some problems with the supply of metal due to the current events in Ukraine. Although we managed to reorganize, we still have a delay in the metal material, which of course affects the progress of the works. However, quality is our priority and therefore we depend significantly on the climatic conditions to ensure a high quality coating arrangement. Accordingly, it depends on this whether we will complete the 11 km and 15 km sections of the road by the end of the year," said Irakli Karseladze.

According to the Minister of Infrastructure, the progress of the ongoing works on Rikoti, in general, gives the opportunity to say boldly that next year the Rikoti project will be completed and it will be of great importance, both internationally and regionally, and for the development of our country.

Work on the Rikoti Pass did not stop even during the pandemic. The 2 km two-lane Khevi-Ubisa section of the highway was opened for traffic in September 2021.