Creating prosperity by repairing devastated roads in Georgia

“The ride is now smoother and the cars need less repair.What else do we need ?" Tamaz Manvelashvili, taxi driver.

Severely deteriorated roads hinder growth

“It used to be very difficult to travel on this road. There were a lot of potholes, even pits, and they would wreck the vehicles,” remembers a bus driver who travels regularly on Georgia's Tbilisi-Kutaisi route - a major east - west artery on the transport corridor between Europe and Central Asia. The trip used to take four or five hours; now it takes about three, thanks to the World Bank’s help.

People's ability to earn depends on good transportation

Roads are important to people’s well-being. Down the ages they have carried commerce, enabling economies to grow and people to prosper. The is especially so in Georgia which lies astride the major transit corridor of the Caucasus, and has for centuries been a part of the fabled Silk Route.

Better roads enable people to find jobs in both the countryside and towns by allowing them to travel to and from work more easily. They also improve people’s standard of living by giving them better access to markets.

Business is more successful as good roads cut transportation costs and enable goods and services to travel to far-flung markets.

Repairing major roads and bridges

So that Georgians can derive the maximum benefits, the roads being repaired by the World Bank traverse the most populous parts of the country. The project is also reconstructing two important bridges.

Seventy percent of the project cost is being met by a World Bank loan of US$ 40 million, while the Georgian government is financing the rest. Repairs to the country’s major roads were started in December 2001 and are scheduled to be complete by the end of 2004.

To ensure that the roads continue to be maintained, the project will also line up finances for future maintenance, and develop a structure to manage the road network. In addition, it will promote the development of a private road construction industry.

A smoother ride

The roads that were repaired in 2002 – 2003 have already made a difference. "Good roads enable fast and reliable travel, which is especially important in bad weather. These days I see a lot more people traveling between Tbilisi and Gudauri on the weekends,” notes Luka Chkaidze with delight.

Luka is a ski instructor at the popular resort town of Gudauri and improvements to the road have helped to increase business. From the standpoint of trade too the road is important as it links Georgia to Russia, its vast neighbor to the north.

Tamaz Manvelashvili, a taxi driver on the route adds, “The ride is now smoother and the cars need less repair.What else do we need? "

Construction is being supervised by an outside firm and adheres to international standards. And lastly, the project involves local people too. Satoshi Ishihara, a public relations specialist, has already consulted the local population in many of the villages. As Satoshi puts it, “People should be actively involved in planning for their future. The roads are paved for them and their opinion matters.”

"Today I will go to the city."

The most tangible measure of the project's success is its impact on society. People can now move easily from town to town, meet with friends and relatives, take products from villages to town for sale, and feel safer on the repaired roads. And most important, they now believe that somebody cares about them.

Youngsters, too, feel the difference. “Today I will go to the city, the big city. Mother promised to show me the bird market,” says little Sandro with a smile as he walks with his mother to buy a bus ticket from Poti to Tbilisi. For Sandro, as well as for his family, the big wide world has just got closer.