Deadlock of the Georgian Military Road: View from North Ossetia

The Georgian Military Road, as the only available land route leading from Russia to Georgia and Armenia, is a problem not only for these Transcaucasian republics, but also for North Ossetia, through the territory of which it passes, the chief editor of the newspaper ‘North Ossetia’, Alan Kasaev, said in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza.

In the first place, he noted that the lack of alternative road routes creates problems for those residents.who want to go to Georgia. "Quite a large number of the residents of North Ossetia visit Georgia for tourism purposes, particularly in summer. Due to the fact that there is only one ground path and it is often closed, they do not have this opportunity for about 20 days a year,’’ Alan Kasaev said.

The second problem is the constant deadlock of trucks. ‘’Transit transport regularly accumulates all over the road from Upper Lars to Vladikavkaz, in Vladikavkaz itself and to the north and east of it. As a result, the large areas along the federal and city roads are clogged by trucks that are waiting, when the road will be opened. Firstly, it complicates the traffic, secondly, there is dirt and unsanitary conditions. Thirdly, we are simply sorry for drivers who constantly have to spend the night right in the cabins for so much time. The only advantage for the country is a roadside trade development: catering gets much bigger income these days,’’ the chief editor of the newspaper ‘North Ossetia’ said.

The expert pointed out that the arrangement of the Georgian Military Highway is borne by the federal authorities, as well as programs related to the work of the border and the ‘Upper Lars’ customs crossing. "There are not a lot of areas in the property of North Ossetia adjacent to the road, but they are equipped with 2-3 relatively small parking spaces for 50-100 cars and a couple of hotels, one of which has not yet been put into operation. The budget is not overloaded by the road: drivers solve their problems themselves. It is necessary to note that to date there are not enough existing campsites and motels,’’ Alan Kasaev said.

In general, the main problems with the Georgian Military Road are on the Georgian side of the border. "To date, approximately 1.5 km of road in Georgia goes through very dangerous territory due to mudflows. As far as I know, Georgia is actively trying to strengthen the road and somehow make sure that the main mass of mudflow goes under the highway. The problem is solved only by the arrangement of the road – antimudflow structures, galleries, tunnels, etc. There are no such problems on the Russian side, because the mountainous part of the Daryal Gorge is on the territory of Georgia," the chief editor of the newspaper ‘North Ossetia’ said.