A contract has been signed with a foreign company to complete the rehabilitation works of the Varketili metro station in a short timeframe. Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze discussed the reasons for delays in the renovation process and the ongoing work during today’s meeting of the capital’s government.

“We never shy away from discussing problems, never avoid challenges, and have no difficulty telling the truth to the public. We often talk about successful projects and accomplishments that have been clearly visible in the capital since 2017, but there are challenges and problems as well.

Today, I want to speak about one problematic issue and where we stand. I’m referring to the rehabilitation of Varketili metro station, where the ceiling of the passenger waiting platform collapsed back in 2018.

Despite the municipality immediately beginning to plan the necessary measures for the station’s rehabilitation, this issue remains unresolved. The main reason for the delay is the insufficient experience and qualifications of both local design and construction companies, as well as expert organizations in the underground transportation sector. Given this, local companies have avoided participating in this project. There were instances when we announced tenders, and companies would not participate,” stated Kakha Kaladze.

According to him, the initially selected construction company Mamisoni failed to fulfill its obligations, which resulted in the termination of their contract.

“After numerous attempts, based on a decree from the Georgian government, a design organization, LLC TDS, was selected in 2021, which presented a completed, expert-reviewed project in January 2022. During the project’s progress, several hindering circumstances emerged, which has significantly delayed the completion of the project from 2022 until today,” noted the mayor.

He explained that the main work of the project involves the dismantling of the ceiling and walls of the passenger waiting hall, as well as the asbestos-cement panels in the inclined escalator tunnel, and replacing them with modern, safe materials.

According to the Tbilisi Mayor, the demolition of the old ceiling revealed the necessity to study the reinforced concrete arch itself, including its geometric parameters, and along with other studies, a complete surface scan was conducted twice.

“Also, at the stage of reviewing the updated project, the Levan Samkharauli National Bureau of Expertise requested an in-depth study of the reinforced concrete structures, which proved quite difficult with the resources of local expert organizations. Therefore, we had to involve foreign experts who have experience working on such types of metro stations. As you know, Tbilisi’s metro was built during the Soviet period. Therefore, to complete the rehabilitation works of Varketili metro station in a short period, a contract has already been signed with the Belarusian company ProBuild Expert LLC, and a full study of the reinforced concrete structures is underway, as well as the preparation of a restoration project,” said Kakha Kaladze.

In addition, according to the Mayor, as part of the project, the construction company BadaConstruction has already completed the full dismantling of the old ceiling, demolition and repair works of the internal utility spaces under the platform, and has ordered the necessary materials for installing the new ceiling structure and other components.

According to Kakha Kaladze, considering the above, the completion of the Varketili metro station rehabilitation project is planned for this September.