Kvesheti–Kobi Road: A Faster Way to Gudauri

07.10.2026

Georgia is building a new 23 km road between Kvesheti and Kobi. It bypasses the Gudauri–Kobi section of the road to Stepantsminda, the most difficult part of the route in winter.

The route includes a 9 km main tunnel, the longest in Georgia, and an evacuation tunnel of the same length; both have already been dug. The largest bridge crosses the Khada gorge: it is more than 400 m long and 166 m above the bottom of the gorge, with a 300 m arch. According to the Roads Department of Georgia, the two halves of the arch are to be joined at the end of October 2026.

Travel times when the road is complete:

  • Tbilisi – Gudauri: about 1 hour 30 minutes instead of 2 hours
  • Tbilisi – Stepantsminda: 1 hour 45 minutes instead of 2 hours 30 minutes
  • Kvesheti – Kobi: 15 minutes instead of about an hour

The project also includes a new 5 km road to Gudauri. It costs about GEL 1.2 billion and is financed by the Georgian government together with the Asian Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Sources: Roads Department of Georgia; Ministry of Infrastructure of Georgia.

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