Lars Highway Upgrade Promises Improved Safety by 2027

The highway to Lars is being reconstructed: they promise it will be safer. The Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia, Davit Khudatyan, is on an official visit to Georgia. As part of the visit, the Armenian delegation, led by Minister Khudatyan, along with the Minister of Infrastructure of Georgia, Revaz Sokhadze, visited the construction site to get acquainted with the progress of the large-scale works.

The focus of the two countries' ministers was the modernization process of the Stepantsminda-Gveleti section, one of the key parts of the Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Lars highway. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure of Georgia, this project involves complex engineering solutions and extensive construction work. Specifically, it is planned to build a 4.5-kilometer modern two-way road. Given the complex geographical location of the area, the road construction work also includes the construction of large infrastructure facilities. Within the project, two new bridges and two tunnels will be built, which will allow bypassing difficult-to-pass sections and ensure the continuity of traffic.

The importance of the Stepantsminda-Gveleti section goes beyond purely local significance. This road section is an integral part of the E117 international route and the "North-South" transport corridor. According to the Georgian side's assessment, the successful implementation of this project will raise road safety to a new qualitative level.

Particular emphasis is placed on the factor of weather conditions. After the project's completion, it is expected that traffic safety will be ensured in any season of the year, which is extremely important for this mountainous zone, where complex climatic difficulties are frequent.

This large-scale project is being implemented by the order and under the supervision of the Roads Department of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Georgia. The financial side of the project is also impressive: the estimated cost of the construction work is 215.5 million lari.

As for the completion of the work, according to the established schedule, the new, modernized road section will be fully commissioned in 2027. Until then, officials from both countries continue to closely monitor the progress of this vital infrastructure for the region.