EU Funds $7 mln Project to Improve Georgian Roads

Yesterday, representatives of the EU and the European Investment Bank (EIB) signed a new project to assist Georgia improve and build new roads, increasing public safety and ease of transportation nationwide.

The seven-year program is titled Technical Assistance for Georgia Transport Connectivity. Its budget, from the EU, is €6,136,000 ($6,965,010).

The project will start with technical studies to better understand the needs of the existing Georgian road network. It will provide capacity building and training for staff in relevant government department to support program implementation and sustainability.

Project experts from the EU will conduct feasibility and design studies to identify and eliminate accident-prone sections of roads (so-called blackspots), starting from January 2019.

Lawrence Meredith, Visiting Director for Neighbourhood East at the European Commission, said during Wednesday's signing ceremony, “Improved road networks are a key element in economic development, creating connections between people and allowing exchanges and trade both within and outside the country. This project will lay the groundwork for new and safer roads to be built throughout Georgia in the years to come.”

Since 2012, the construction of over 68 km of road on the East–West highway has been supported with combined EU and EIB support.

For more information, see the Press Release from the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia.

By Samantha Guthrie

Photo: European Union