East-West Highway Section Opens in Georgia

A 15.2 kilometer section was added to West Georgia’s Zestaponi-Kutaisi-Samtredia 65.5 km highway, making it fully operational.

For the construction of the highway in Imereti region, the Government of Japan provided a loan of ¥17,722,000,000 (around $2,601,891,051) and ¥4,410,000,000 (about $647,463,014) to the Government of Georgia through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Georgia’s Infrastructure Ministry reports that as part of the Kutaisi-Zestaponi bypass road section cement-concrete covered highway, nine parallel bridges, two transport junctions, four pedestrian bridges, underground exits and reinforced concrete culverts have been built.

“The construction of this section will increase the safety of traffic movement on E60 high-speed motorway, reduce transportation costs and facilitate transit movement,” the ministry reports.

Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Georgia’s Prime Minister,  attended the opening ceremony with the representatives of donor organizations and governmental officials.

The PM noted that the new section of East-West Highway is part of Georgia’s Spatial Arrangement Plan, which aims at modernizing infrastructural development in the country.

The Prime Minister thanked the Japanese government and international financial institutions for their significant contribution to the development of Georgia.

“Imereti is the heart of Georgia. The projects such as highways that will connect Kutaisi to Mestia and Tetnuldi resorts, to Abastumani and southern Georgia and East-West railway which will reach Kutaisi Airport, Kutaisi Technical University will turn this place as a real center,” he stated.

Zestaponi-Kutaisi-Samtredia highway is fully operable now.This road section is part of a larger transformation process #4PointPlan pic.twitter.com/3a8rRNu2XV

— Giorgi Kvirikashvili (@KvirikashviliGi) June 27, 2017

Around 360 people were employed in the project of East-West Highway construction.

By Thea Morrison