Tbilisi (AsiaNews) - A major project to build a new highway is raising many hopes for Georgia's future. The new section will cross the impassable Rikoti Valley in central Georgia for more than 50 kilometers and 96 bridges, 53 tunnels, with an expected cost of about $1 billion, and will change the entire landscape of the country's heartland.
Government leaders in Tbilisi are counting on this project to be the beginning of a new season of Chinese investment in Georgia, which could revive the economy after 30 years of civil wars, economic collapse, and the loss of two regions as a result of the conflict with Russia in 2008-2011. At the same time, local people fear the consequences of major road works.
The new highway could cut off several small villages, such as Šroša, famous for its handmade pottery production, from all communications. A local artist, Zoi Giorgadze, spoke to reporters about Azattyk, saying that "the new road is in general a positive opportunity for the country, but few think about how it will affect people like us, who will lose everything we have for the realization of a giant project."
The implementation of the project will change the entire transportation logistics in Georgia, where today it is very difficult to connect the various regions. The distance between the capital Tbilisi and the Black Sea coast will be cut in half, boosting tourism in a big way. Not only will the east and west of the country be connected, but more generally a wide corridor will be created between Europe and Asia, of which Georgia is one of the borders.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has accelerated the Georgian government's efforts, in view of the commercial transformations that will lead shipping companies from the West to beat routes to Asia, via Russia's bypass ports.
This requires making corrections to the contracts signed since 2018, which have so far suffered numerous delays and complications. Work was scheduled to begin in 2020 with a view to inauguration in 2023, and now it is imperative to start the work in earnest.
Last March's floods and landslides led to the closure of many roads and damage to some major roads, raising concern among ecologists and geologists. Experts think the damage is largely caused by chronic construction defects, which have weakened the foundations of the mountainous terrain, not far from the Rikoti Wall itself.
According to Arčil Magalašvili, a professor of geology at the University of Tbilisi, to whom the Chinese have contracted to consult on this work, further checks of the terrain will be needed after the landslides, "redoing the accounts and modifying the construction plan, taking into account the new risks," what could postpone the work again indefinitely.
In contrast, the Chinese are pushing in turn to intensify the work, reinforcing the protections on the mountain ridges with mixed brigades of Chinese, Georgian, and other nationality workers.
China is taking a major role in the life of the country, which has traditionally been divided between the influence of Moscow and Western countries, and a free trade agreement with Beijing has also been in place since 2017.
Much of China's investment is focused on logistics and transportation, which also includes a resurfacing of Georgian railway lines, as well as the opening of a large commercial area on the outskirts of Tbilisi, at a cost of nearly $200 million. Some contracts are drawing various criticisms, such as the one with the Sinohydro company, which has been accused of environmental damage and defects in construction and road works.
The government assures that it has full control over all contracts and works, and that Chinese companies are the most competitive and safe among the many with whom projects to build the "new Georgia" have been discussed.
Photo: Flickr / Jelger Groeneveld
