Kakheti Connectivity Improvement Project

active

The project aims to (a) improve the connectivity and integration between a leading region (Tbilisi) and a relatively lagging one (Kakheti) - through modern highway infrastructure conceptualized as a corridor that will eventually be extended to an alternative Georgia-Azerbaijan border crossing point and thus with long-term implications for cross-border trade, regional integration, network operational resilience, tourism, and growth; (b) support primary sector economic activity in Kakheti through better access to markets in Tbilisi and beyond, thus contributing to higher-quality products that can better compete domestically and internationally, with the potential to increase employment and incomes for underserved groups, including women, young people, and minority groups; and (c) elevate the standard of national-level highway infrastructure. The project comprises three components: Component 1. Connectivity Improvements on the Eastern Corridor will support the construction of a 17 km long Sagarejo-Badiauri section (Lot 3 out of 5 along the proposed Tbilisi-Sagarejo-Bakurtsikhe corridor). Component 2. Improvements to Local Marketplace will provide safe trading premises for roadside vendors in proximity to Badiauri interchange of the highway. Component 3. Institutional Strengthening and Implementation Support will finance technical assistance to the Roads Department (RD) and incremental operating cost of project implementation. The project will contribute specifically to focus area 1 (Enhance Inclusive Growth and Competitiveness) in the CPF as it aims at increasing economic participation through (a) improving connectivity and integration by continuing to develop selected infrastructure and improving the flow of goods and people along key corridors and crossing points, and (b) contributing to a more diversified rural economy with the potential to increase employment and incomes for underserved groups, such as women, young people and minority groups. By championing engineering designs and infrastructure construction methods that are resilient to extreme weather events and other climate risks as well as aligned with European best practices and standards, the project will also contribute to focus area 3 (Building Resilience).