Powerchina/Sinohydro wins Georgia highway tender

Powerchina and its subsidiary Sinohydro have won a €26.3 million (GEL95 million) tender for the reconstruction of a 42-km section of the Khulo-Zarzma road in Georgia.

Works to the section - known as the Batumi (Angisa)-Akhaltsikhe highway - will see the Chinese construction firms lay two lanes of asphalt-concrete pavement and erect seven bridges.

Connecting the country’s Samtskhe-Javakheti and Adjara regions, Georgia’s Roads Department said rehabilitation of the Khulo-Zarzma road, which is said to be of strategic importance for the country, would increase capacity and reduce travel times between the two areas by around 1.5 hours.

The Roads Department of Georgia, part of the Ministry of Regional Development, made the announcement following the termination its agreement with the original contractor after it defaulted on the works.

The infrastructure project is primarily being funded by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, with Georgia’s government funding 5% of the budget.