VIDEO. From Tbilisi to Lars in About 2 Hours: What Stage is the Tunnel Construction in?

Construction is actively progressing in Georgia on the longest tunnel in the region and one of the six largest in the world, leading to Upper Lars.

Officials in Tbilisi assert that the project will be completed in 2024. This information has been reported by the Department of Highways under the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia.

The tunnel spans a length of 9 km and is part of the bypass road for the most dangerous section of the Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Lars highway (Gudauri-Kobi).

“Currently, 5 out of the 9 km of the main tunnel have already been excavated, along with 3 km and 820 m of the evacuation tunnel,” the statement said.

The tunnel, with a diameter of 15 meters, will allow traffic in both directions, with three lanes. Evacuation exits will be available every 500 meters.

Together with the tunnel, a 22.7 km long access road, 6 bridges, and 5 tunnels are planned to be constructed. The existing road is 34 km long, and the tunnel will shorten it by 11 km. This will also ensure uninterrupted traffic through the most hazardous section. Currently, the trip takes over 1 hour; after the project is completed, it will take only 15 minutes.

Thus, the journey from Tbilisi to Stepantsminda will decrease from 2 hours and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes.

The total cost of the project is estimated at 1.2 billion lari. It is worth noting that the project was initially expected to be completed in 2022, but the timeline was altered due to the pandemic.