The reconstruction of Tsereteli Avenue, one of the capital’s central arteries, is scheduled to be completed by the end of January. However, the likelihood of meeting this deadline seems highly unlikely given that Tbilisi City Hall has canceled the contracts with the companies responsible for the reconstruction of the avenue and awarded new contracts to four other companies.
Faced with allegations of corruption and blamed for the headache-inducing traffic jams, Mayor Kakha Kaladze has even vowed to get personally involved in the works on the never-ending reconstruction of the avenue. And the issue, as always, has taken on a political tone.
The start of the project
Reconstruction of Tsereteli Avenue, including the Shalikashvili (Didube) Bridge [which ends the avenue] began on April 20, 2023. Deputy Mayor of Tbilisi Irakli Bendeliani promised effective and quick completion of the works: “This will be a complete reconstruction of underground and surface communications, green areas will be accommodated, as well as the outdoor lighting network and underground garbage bins.” He also stated that the reconstruction works would be carried out 24 hours a day, stressing the importance of one of the main avenues for the capital and therefore the completion of the works as soon as possible. Specifically, he said that the reconstruction of Tsereteli Avenue would be completed by January 2024, and the Shalikashvili Bridge even earlier, in October, 2023. Mayor Kaladze himself reiterated the same promise, when he visited the site at the very beginning of the works.
Several months later, in October, when Kaladze visited the site together with Deputy Mayor Bendeliani, he stated that the works were proceeding on schedule. He noted that the Avenue was half open, as the rehabilitation work had been done on the most critical side. On the other side of the avenue, he said, there was even less to do.
On November 1, the reconstruction works on Shalikashvili bridge (which connects Didube district, where the reconstruction works are going on to other disctricts) were completed, however Tsereteli avenue is still far from this condition.
A Source of Satire
Tenders for the reconstruction works of Tsereteli Avenue were issued to two companies: Ltd. RTD and Ltd. Millennium Builders Group. The reconstruction works were funded from the 2023-2024 Tbilisi Mayor Budget.
As the new year approached, concerns grew about the completion of the reconstruction of the avenue. The opposition media focused on the issue, when its journalist Beka Korshia pranked RTD Director General Lukhum Kartlosishvili, in a TV story that turned into public satire and multiple mems. During a phone call, Korshia, posing as an employee of the State Security Service, warned Kartlosishvili of expected inquiries from opposition media about the work on the avenue. Kartlosishvili, without hesitation promised to repeat the scripted answer, in case the opposition media called, that the reconstruction was going perfectly according to a fictitious German model called “Guten Traken” (which has no real meaning and is a phrase invented by the journalist Korshia). A TV story exposing the blind obedience of the Director of the winning company to a state security service was ridiculed by the general public, but also raised public concern about possible wrongdoing over Tsereteli Avenue rehabilitation.
New Beginning
After the viral TV prank, to which the mayor of Tbilisi refused to comment, just two weeks before the scheduled completion of the reconstruction works, on January 15, Kakha Kaladze said that contracts with Ltd. RTD and Ltd. Millennium Builders Group were cut off, citing their problems in meeting the deadline. However, Kaladze, who said he is confident that the work will be completed on time, stressed the importance of the full opening of the avenue by the end of January. He even promised to personally take part in the work, if necessary, along with other aides to the Tbilisi mayor.
On January 17, the deputy mayor of Tbilisi Bendeliani said that the new contracts were issued with four other companies, which will continue the Tsereteli reconstruction works. Those companies are: “Enko”, “Parma”, “GEO Group”, and “Black Sea Group”. Bendeliani promised that two-way traffic would be restored by the end of January. He also said that the budget for the project will not be changed, and that they “will not pay the companies that made mistakes.”
Critics
Several opposition politicians blame the mayor of Tbilisi for the long and never-ending works, saying that the situation is the result of corrupt practice:
Giorgi Sharashidze, “For Georgia”: “On Tsereteli Avenue we are faced with chaos caused by sluggish and low-quality works, which is in total contradiction with the interests of the people of Tbilisi to live in a comfortable and safe city. This is a direct reflection of the systemic corruption instilled by the mayor of Tbilisi, Kakha Kaladze”.
Vaso Urushadze, Chairman of the UNM Anti-Corruption Committee: “The whole situation is conditioned by the corrupt interests that the Mayor of Tbilisi has today.”
Irakli Nadiradze, UNM: “The rehabilitation of Tsereteli Avenue is a classic example of corruption, nepotism and unprofessionalism.”
Ana Natsvlishvili, “Lelo”: “He [Kakha Kaladze] cannot deal with any urban problems because he is corrupt and the city is left alone… The city is not effectively managed in any direction, and this is due to his corrupt dealings.”
Mayor’s response
In the face of harsh criticism, Mayor Kaladze promised to get the job done, and used the opportunity to lash put at the opposition as well as pre-GD era government. “We are the people who take responsibility for carrying out such [large] scale projects in all directions, be those public transport reforms, parks, gardens, green places…” said Kaladze, pointing the finger at the previous governments and city mayors, who, as he said, have not done such big projects at all.
Kaladze also accused the opposition of conducting propaganda on this issue, which he said was aimed at misleading the people. He called those who criticize him “losers who have done nothing in their lives” and told them that “society will answer them at the 2024 parliamentary elections”. Calling the critics “collective National Movement” and “old crooks”, Kaladze said that Georgia has a strong Government “that will not allow them to mislead the society”. He said remained convinced that Tsereteli Avenue works, as well as other important projects, will be successfully implemented. “2024 is important in this sense and we do not plan to pay attention to this frenetic campaign of “loser agents”, said Kaladze.
Rushed Work and Quality Concerns
On January 19, members of the United National Movement sent a letter to the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office asking it to open an investigation into the complications in the rehabilitation of Tsereteli Avenue, accusing the mayor of Tbilisi of awarding contracts to companies close to the government and Bidzina Ivanishvili.
The mayor of Tbilisi has less than two weeks to keep his promise and finish the reconstruction. On January 19, additional traffic restrictions were imposed on the avenue. Meanwhile, in order to meet the deadline, workers began hastily covering the broken avenue with asphalt. However, many residents fear that even if the work is completed on time, the quality of the accelerated work will suffer in the near future,
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