100 million Georgian Lari was allocated for the rehabilitation of a 72-kilometer stretch of mountain road from Pshaveli to Omalo, the only road leading to Tusheti. Asphalt and concrete pavement will be laid over the first section of the highway, 13.5 kilometers from Pshaveli. The rest of the road will remain unpaved, the damaged areas will be repaired, and the dimensions will be improved. The full reconstruction work is set to complete in 2025.
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According to the Roads Department, the Tusheti road project is split into 8 sections. The contract has already been signed for 5 projects, which include works to improve the traffic conditions of the 39 km section of the road, and its total value is 43.6 million GEL. On the remaining 43.6 km, which consists of 3 sections, the works will start gradually. At this stage, a contract has been announced for one section, and another is to be announced in the coming days.
The Tusheti road, which passes through the Abano pass was built in the 60s and 70s and sits 2950 above sea level. Owing to the difficult terrain and meteorological conditions, the road is operational for about 4-5 months of the year.
Tusheti road is featured on the list of the most extreme roads in Europe. Traffic accidents occur almost every year, and most of the time, they result in casualties. The main causes of accidents are drunk driving, violation of maneuvering conduct, and speeding.
Members of the Georgian government have been actively talking about the construction of a new, safer road to Tusheti Since 2016. The new road had to go through the valleys of Pankisi and Khadori and enter the Gometsari valley of Tusheti. The former Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili announced that the new road would cut the travel time from Tbilisi to Tusheti in three and take 1.5 hours instead of 4-5.
The government paid several million GEL to the so-called Croatian company - JSC Institute IGH, a joint stock company in civil construction research and development to design the new Tusheti road, however, in February 2019, the Chairman of the Roads Department (currently the Minister of Infrastructure) Irakli Karseladze told online media outlet Mountain Stories that the Pankisi-Tusheti road project flopped.
The subject of construction of a new road to Tusheti through the Pankisi and Khadori valleys became a subject of controversy among the Tusheti locals. The population of Kvemo Alvani was against the construction of a new road through Pankisi, while the Tushetians of Tsovata valley living in Zemo Alvani supported the project. The villages of Tsovata valley are completely devoid of inhabitants. The only road that leads from the Gometsri valley to the village of Tsaro has been dilapidated for years. The Tusheti people of Tsovati valley are not able to rebuild their houses. Several environmental organizations were also opposed to cutting a new road through the Khadori gorge.
The Government of the Georgian Dream party was also planning the construction of a narrow-gauge railway from Alvani to Tusheti’s village Omalo. This project is also part of Tusheti spatial-territorial plan, which is the main guiding document for the development of this mountainous region.
The project of setting up an airfield in Tusheti also failed.
