Recently, the China-made world's largest diameter full-section hard rock tunneling machine "Caucasus" was assembled and put into use in Georgia. It will be mainly used for the construction of the Kvesheti-Kobi road tunnel section of the Georgia North-South Highway, marking that this project under the Belt and Road Initiative for Chinese enterprises going global has entered the rapid construction stage. Georgian Prime Minister Garibashvili said that the commissioning of the "Caucasus" tunneling machine will accelerate the construction of the Georgia North-South Highway, drive economic development, and benefit local people.

Georgian local media Imedi TV reported that the "Caucasus" tunneling machine was specially manufactured for tunnel construction. It is characterized by minimal vibration during operation, ensuring the safety of the construction process while effectively reducing environmental impact.

Starting from Shanghai and crossing the ocean, the components of the "Caucasus" wound their way along the Gudauri mountain road at an average altitude of nearly 2,000 meters before finally reaching the assembly site. Project manager Cen Daoyong said in an interview that in order to ensure the safe arrival of the tunneling machine components, project staff surveyed the transport routes within Georgia four times and adopted measures such as reinforcement and maintenance of some road sections and the construction of temporary access roads. At the Gudauri Mountain No. 1 avalanche protection tunnel, the staff conducted simulated transport twice, ensuring that the huge main bearing passed smoothly.

Georgian safety engineer of the project Vladimir Melia said that in the face of such complex transport work, the Chinese builders carried out multiple full-scale, full-load simulated transports, making full preparations for the implementation and optimization of the tunneling machine transport plan, which demonstrated the professionalism and dedication of the Chinese enterprise.

Due to the impact of the pandemic, the supply cycle of equipment parts was extended and uncontrollable factors increased. Project staff overcame difficulties and completed the assembly of the "Caucasus" in more than three months. "Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese enterprise still completed the assembly and commissioning of the tunneling machine as scheduled. The professionalism of the Chinese engineering staff is admirable," Garibashvili said.

The Kvesheti-Kobi road tunnel undertaken by the China Railway Tunnel Group is the largest single infrastructure project under construction in Georgia. After the tunnel is completed, the driving route of this road section will change from the existing 35-kilometer winding mountain road to a 12-kilometer straight road, and the driving time will be shortened from 1 hour to 20 minutes, greatly improving traffic efficiency and driving safety. The Georgian Public Broadcaster reported that after the road tunnel is completed, it will have important economic significance for Georgia, effectively increasing the country's transit potential, helping to develop new tourism projects, and bringing new opportunities for national development.