ArmInfo. After completion of the construction of an alternative route to Lars, the Upper Lars checkpoint will be passable 365 days a year. Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of Armenia Armen Simonyan stated on March 11 in parliament.
According to him, the project to build the longest tunnel in the region leading to the Upper Lars international checkpoint will not be completed in 2024, as previously planned, but in 2025. Thanks to this, the "Upper Lars" checkpoint, which is "traditionally" closed due to worsening weather conditions, sometimes even for 2 months, will become passable 365 days a year.
Notably, we are talking about a 9-kilometer tunnel under the Cross Pass. This is part of the bypass road for the most avalanche-prone section (Gudauri - Kobi) of the Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Lars highway. The diameter of the three-lane tunnel is 15 meters, traffic through it will be possible uninterruptedly in both directions. There are emergency exits every 500 meters in the tunnel.
The tunnel and the completion of the construction of a 23-kilometer bypass section from the village of Kobi to the village of Kvesheti will ensure round-the-clock uninterrupted traffic through this territory towards Russia and vice versa. This is also important for Armenia: local cargo will be able to freely reach Russia without standing in queues for weeks. The tunnel will reduce travel time from Tbilisi to Stepantsminda (border with the Russian Federation) from 2 hours 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes.
