TRANSPORT CHALLENGES OF TBILISI AND THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF THE BYPASS HIGHWAY

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The city of Tbilisi, like other major urban centers worldwide, faces persistent challenges caused by rapid population growth, an expanding vehicle fleet, and limited transport infrastructure capacity. These factors have led to chronic congestion, environmental pollution, and a decline in urban mobility efficiency. Addressing such multidimensional challenges requires a systemic and long-term approach that integrates infrastructure modernization, sustainable transport planning, and the redirection of transit flows away from the city’s dense core. Within this context, the Tbilisi Bypass Highway Project has emerged as a strategically significant initiative designed to alleviate traffic pressure, improve connectivity, and promote balanced urban development.

Technically, the project consists of a 51-kilometer four-lane highway with a design speed of 120 km/h, incorporating 48 bridges with a total length of 11.6 kilometers and six tunnels totaling 10.7 kilometers. Divided into four construction lots, the project involves a series of complex engineering works, including large-scale interchanges, tunnels, and crossings that together form a continuous high-capacity route around the city. Beyond its engineering scope, the bypass highway will substantially reduce traffic intensity within Tbilisi, optimize public transport.

Furthermore, the project is expected to generate long-term economic, spatial, and environmental benefits. By redirecting transit vehicles outside the capital, it will stimulate regional investment, enhance logistics efficiency, and contribute to the city’s decentralization and sustainable expansion. The bypass will also strengthen Georgia’s position as a key regional transport corridor linking national and international high-speed road networks. Overall, the Tbilisi Bypass Highway represents not merely an infrastructural intervention but a strategic foundation for the sustainable, resilient, and balanced development of Georgia’s capital city and the broader region.