1. TRANSPORT > GEORGIA
Another
leap
forward
on the new Silk Road
Once it is upgraded,
transit, trade and tourism will www.enpi-info.eu
flow. The old highway between Tbilisi
and Rustavi causes frequent congestion and N Trucks on the Tbilisi-Rustavi
section of the Tbilisi-Red Bridge
safety concerns both for commuters and long-distance travellers highway.
from Azerbaijan and Armenia to Georgia’s Black Sea ports or Turkey, and
vice versa. A new project – part of the EU supported international
transport programme TRACECA, or the New Silk Road – will upgrade
the road to internationals standards, and ease the pain.
Text and photos by Maia Edilashvili
Tbilisi – “This road is very congested and accidents are frequent,” says Zurab Tval-
mikhelashvili, driver of a Tbilisi-Rustavi mini bus. Though the road’s capacity is only
9,000 vehicles, approximately 12,000 automobiles are travelling every day on the
Tbilisi-Red Bridge highway, which connects Georgia with the borders of Azerbaijan
and Armenia. Due to the poor conditions of the 22km-long Tbilisi-Rustavi section
of the East-West highway, driving is allowed at a maximum speed of 80 km/h.
This publication does To address the problem, the Georgian government is working on a project, which
not represent the envisions construction of a first category road with a design speed of 120 km/h
official view of the EC
and four lanes. “Once the highway has been modernized, its capacity
or the EU institutions.
The EC accepts no will reach 44,000 automobiles per day,” says Mamuka Vatsadze, at the ENPI Info Centre – Feature no. 41
responsibility or liability time Head of Transport Policy Department at the Ministry of Regional This is a series of features on
whatsoever with regard Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, who has since become projects funded by the EU’s Regional
to its content. Programme, prepared by journalists
Deputy Minister at the same Ministry. and photographers on the ground
or the ENPI Info Centre.
© 2010 ENPI Info Centre / EU

2. Another leap forward on the new Silk Road p. 2
ENPI Info Centre – Feature no. 41
A comfortable drive to develop transit, trade and tourism
Today, packed minibuses commuting between Tbilisi and Rustavi are
“The new road
seen everywhere, since many Rustavi residents work or study in Tbilisi. In
will increase
reverse, Rustavi hosts factories and business centres, having close rela-
safety and cut
tions with Tbilisi-based partners, which increases demand for this direc-
travelling time,
tion. “The city of Rustavi has become part of the urban agglomeration
making Rustavi
of the capital and has very strong economic ties with it,” explains Giorgi
an integral part
Kiziria, coordinator of the ADB. “The new road,” he says, “will increase
of Tbilisi”
safety and cut travelling time, making Rustavi an integral part of Tbilisi.”
N Mamuka Vatsadze
The comfortable drive to the bordering countries and beyond will be another ad-
vantage. All this, the government hopes, will help develop transit, trade and tour-
ism in the region, and enhance competitiveness of the TRACECA corridor. “In fact,”
continues Kiziria, “this road provides an important link to the neighbouring states
of Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as with the central Asian countries, connecting
them to Georgia’s mainland and the Black Sea Ports, thus impacting significantly
“This road on their trade portion.”
provides
important links TRACECA: promoting integration into the global economy
to Armenia and Signed in 1998, and backed by the European Union, TRACECA – the Transport Cor-
Azerbaijan as ridor Europe – Caucasus – Asia, or the New Silk Road – is an interstate programme
well as with the aimed at supporting political and economic development in Black Sea Region,
central Asian Caucasus and Central Asia through improvement of international transport –
countries, ports, railways and roads. This is expected to boost regional trade and integration
connecting them of member states’ economies into the world markets. Actually, the idea is to re-
to Georgia’s store the ancient route, carrying caravans from China and India across the Caspian
mainland and the Sea via Georgia to the Black Sea and then via the Bosporus to the Mediterranean
Black Sea Ports” countries as early as the 4th century BC.
The ambitions European Union-backed programme unites Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine,
Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. The European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (EBRD), the World Bank (WB), the Islamic Development Bank
(IDB) and Asia Development Bank have spent heavily on TRACECA projects. One of
the achievements of the programme is a closer cooperation among governments
and transport sector stakeholders: deals have been reached to keep transit fees at
competitive levels, and customs procedures simplified.
Intensive reconstruction work on the East-West Highway
The increased cargo traffic on the TRACECA corridor shows growing interest in this
route as the shortest, cheapest and potentially fastest land link for east-west traffic.
According to the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia,
in 2009 an average 200,000 trucks crossed Georgia’s borders from both directions
every day, up from 50,000 trucks in 2003.
This impressive growth has been a result of intensive reconstruction works fi- N Giorgi Kiziria
nanced by the World Bank along Geor-
gia’s East-West Highway, increasing it
from two to four lanes. The works have
been underway since 2006 and some
of the sections are already in opera-
tion. “The construction works along the
East-West Highway, have already borne
fruits,” says Vatsadze. “This is in line with
TRACECA’s long-term strategy as well as

3. Another leap forward on the new Silk Road p. 3
ENPI Info Centre – Feature no. 41
with the European Union’s vision towards the South Caucasus – to make TRACECA
part of European transport links.”
Private businesses are also getting the taste of that fruit. “Infrastructure is improv-
ing… Conditions are 1000% far better than ten years ago,” notes Steve Pipe, Branch
“In 2009 an
Manager at FH Bertling Ltd Georgia, which specializes in project forwarding for
average 200,000
construction and oil and gas companies to Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uz-
trucks crossed
bekistan and beyond. Bertling has 150 offices worldwide and has been operating
Georgia’s borders
in Georgia since 1998. According to Pipe, for Georgia as a transit country, modern
from both
roads and bridges are essential. Georgia’s “good” customs system and “no corrup-
directions daily:
N The overcrowded Tbilisi- they were just
Rustavi section of the Tbilisi-Red tion” environment, he underlines, also play a role.
Bridge highway. Construction works on the Tbilisi-Rustavi section are expected to start this year in
50,000 in 2003”.
the summer time, and will be completed
by 2012. Currently, a detailed design is
being developed for the road, and simul-
taneously, talks are underway with the
Asian Development Bank (ADB) – which
is financing the reconstruction – to nego-
tiate on the loan terms. The exact amount
of the loan will be known only after the
final design is done.
Transport dialogue and networks interoperability
(TRACECA)
Facilitates regional cooperation in the field of transport through capacity building and training
measures, as well as the development of transport forecasts and investment appraisals.
www.enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=320&id_type=10
Participating countries Objective
Armenia, Azerbaijan, The project aims to facilitate regional cooperation in the field of transport, through capacity building and
Georgia, Moldova, training measures, the development of transport forecasts and investment appraisals in the region covered
Ukraine, Kazakhstan, by the EU-funded TRACECA programme. It also promotes effective regional transport dialogue among the
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Partner Countries, as well as between them and the EU.
Uzbekistan
Find out more
Timeframe TRACECA programme web site www.traceca-programme.eu/en/home/
2009-2012 The ENPI Info Centre fiche on the TRACECA programme www.enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=272&id_type=10
The Silk Road of the 21st Century www.traceca-programme.eu/en/home/the-silk-road-of-the-21st-century/
Budget
€ 6.576 million
The ENPI Info Centre is an EU-funded Regional
Information and Communication project
highlighting the partnership between the EU
and Neighbouring countries. The project is
ENPI info centre
managed by Action Global Communications.
www.enpi-info.eu