Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi’s central thoroughfare and the main site of protests in Georgia, will undergo full rehabilitation beginning on July 23, with traffic closed for the duration of the works, which are expected to be completed by the end of November, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze announced on July 21.
According to Kaladze, vehicular traffic will be fully closed on Rustaveli Avenue, as well as the adjacent section of Merab Kostava Street. The rehabilitation will cover the approximately two-kilometer stretch between Tamar Chovelidze Street and Liberty Square.
The start of the works comes amid ongoing anti-government protests on Rustaveli Avenue outside the Parliament building, where demonstrators have rallied daily against the ruling Georgian Dream government since November 28, 2024, when it announced it was suspending the country’s EU accession process until 2028. The daily demonstrations have recently passed 600 days.
Kaladze said the project fulfils one of his pre-election promises, describing Rustaveli Avenue as the capital’s “visiting card” that should become “a modern, safe, and comfortable space.”
“Rustaveli Avenue is our capital’s visiting card, both visually and historically, which has seen a lot of joy, victory, pain, or grief, and it must be well-ordered and modern, so that visitors coming to our country, as well as the local population, can feel a sense of pride,” Kaladze said.
The mayor said previous tenders had failed because no companies submitted bids, but that a contractor has now been selected. According to Business Media Georgia (bm.ge), Tbilisi City Hall earlier this month awarded the GEL 20 million rehabilitation contract to LLC Smart Solutions, the sole bidder in the procurement process.
Kaladze said the project will include replacing water, sewerage, storm drainage, and gas infrastructure, moving overhead utility lines underground, installing underground waste containers, renewing sidewalks and asphalt, upgrading street lighting to LED systems, restoring green spaces, installing pedestrian crossings, road signs and lane markings, and improving accessibility for people with disabilities.
The works, to be carried out by Tbilisi City Hall’s Urban Infrastructure Development Service, are expected to be completed within four months, by the end of November.
The announcement comes as the anti-government demonstrations continue on Rustaveli Avenue, a historic protest site, despite declining participation and a series of legislative changes restricting protest activity. The current rules prohibit not only blocking traffic road but also obstructing the “free movement of people,” extending the offense to pedestrian areas.
Several protesters have been sent administrative detention after courts found them guilty of obstructing pedestrian movement while demonstrating on the sidewalk outside Parliament on Rustaveli Avenue.
Also Read:
