Tbilisi City Hall: Complete overhaul of underground utilities underway on Rustaveli Avenue alongside new drainage system

The large-scale rehabilitation of Shota Rustaveli Avenue is now in full swing, according to Tbilisi City Hall. Works managed by the Municipal Department for Infrastructure Development are being carried out around the clock along the stretch between Tamar Chovelidze Street and Freedom Square.

As outlined in the statement released by City Hall, all types of underground utilities on the avenue are currently being replaced, with active work taking place across the water supply, sewage, and gas networks. A new stormwater drainage system is being constructed in parallel.

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze inspected the ongoing works alongside Deputy Mayor Andria Basilaia.

“We are upgrading the underground utility networks, which were in a critical state and causing major problems for both residential buildings and road infrastructure along the avenue. Our immediate priority is to finish the stretch from Chovelidze Street down to the so-called Elbakidze Rise by September, laying the base asphalt layers so that vehicular traffic can resume. Intensive works will continue over the next four months, concluding at the end of November. Rustaveli Avenue will be fully renovated and beautified,” stated Kakha Kaladze.

Underground cable ducts are currently being installed beneath the pavements to house overhead wiring. Demolition of existing railings, paving slabs, and various infrastructure components is underway along the pedestrian zones. Additionally, underground pedestrian subways are being cleared of earth to prepare for forthcoming waterproofing works.
According to Tbilisi City Hall, once the full renewal of underground utility networks is complete, efforts will transition to modernising the road infrastructure.

Pavements will be resurfaced with natural stone slabs, while fresh asphalt will be laid along the carriageway. Pedestrian refuge islands and zebra crossings will be introduced, alongside new traffic lights and appropriate road signage.

Furthermore, underground waste containers and a new street lighting network will be installed along the avenue, with landscaping works scheduled for the final stage of rehabilitation.

The Mayor was joined on site by Giorgi Abutidze, Head of the Municipal Department for Infrastructure Development, Nino Bagashvili, Head of the Transport and Urban Development Agency, and Davit Kirkitadze, Governor of the Mtatsminda District.