The Department of Roads of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia has announced an international tender to replace the highway connecting Georgia with Armenia and Azerbaijan with a new four-lane road with a high capacity. The total cost of the project is 250 million euros (754 million lari), funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The tender for this section of the road was initially announced in August 2024, with the aim of identifying a winner and starting construction in 2025. However, in March 2026, the tender was officially suspended due to low competition. In March of this year, a tender worth 19 million euros was announced for road construction supervision services. Simultaneously, the Georgian government has continued the process of land expropriation necessary for the road's construction, with several additional expropriations announced this year.
The new highways will start from the city of Rustavi and will be constructed towards the Red Bridge (Tsiteli Khidi) and Sadakhlo. The announced tenders (lots 1 and 2, lots 3 and 4) provide for the construction of a four-lane road with a total length of 61.3 kilometers.
The project lots are distributed as follows:
- Lot 1 — Rustavi-Algeti: 21 kilometers, road width: 4 x 3.75 meters, speed limit: 120 km/h,
- Lot 2 — Algeti-Red Bridge: 10.9 kilometers, road width: 4 x 3.75 meters, speed limit: 120 km/h,
- Lot 3 — Algeti-Araflou: 13 kilometers, road width: 4 x 3.75 meters, speed limit: 120 km/h,
- Lot 4 — Araflou-Sadakhlo: 16.3 kilometers, road width: 4 x 3.75 meters, speed limit: 120 km/h.
Currently, the highways connecting Georgia with Armenia and Azerbaijan have two lanes and mostly pass through populated areas. The new highway is expected to increase capacity and bypass densely populated points.
Under the new tender, companies must submit their proposals to the state by August 14, 2026, inclusive.
