SAMTSKHE-JAVAKHETI ROAD REHABILITATION GETS ON TRACK
By M. Alkhazashvili
(Translated by Diana Dundua)

The Messenger, Georgia
April 27 2007

The Millennium Challenge Georgia Fund (MCG) will spend USD 102.2
million to rehabilitate the road through the southern Georgian province
of Samtskhe-Javakheti. A total of about 245 km of road, including
connecting roads Teleti-Koda-Manglisi, Manglisi-Tsalka-Ninotsminda,
Akhalkalaki-Ninotsmin da-Armenian border, and the roads from Akhalkalaki
to Kartsakhi and Khertvisi to Vardzia will be restored as well as 10
km of road that links Georgia to Turkey.

Construction is scheduled to begin this summer and should be completed
by 2010, reports the newspaper Akhali Versia.

The bidding process is still not complete. In general international
companies have applied, owing to the fact that no Georgian companies
have experience implementing USD 30 million projects, as is required
in the competition.

Though the winners are not required to employ local residents,
according to most observers, the construction companies will still
hire local workers.

The MCG is planning to hire an independent international
company to monitor and evaluate the quality of the work. After
the rehabilitation-construction process is complete the Railway
Department under the Ministry of Economic Development will take over
responsibility for the roads.

As soon as the project ends, the distance from Tbilisi to Akhalkalaki
will be reduced by 110 km and travel time will be shortened to
3.5 hours. This will help the residents of the region export their
agricultural products more easily and stimulate business development.