The President of Georgia visited Telavi today, attended the presentation of city development project, and addressed the local population. Mikheil Saakashvili drew attention to the development plan of the region and talked to them about the projects that are being implemented throughout Kakheti. The Head of State talked to the local citizens about new initiatives and noted that there will be a new tunnel built on the Gombori portion of the Tbilisi – Telavi highway, creating an opportunity to reach the center of Kakheti from the capital in under 40 minutes. The construction of this tunnel will begin within the scope of the 2015 modernization plan and will end in two years.

As of the development of Telavi, Mikheil Saakashvili spoke in detail about the work that is going to be implemented within the scope of the project and noted that up to 150 houses and 50 public purpose buildings will be rehabilitated in the city, including musical and art schools, the front façade of the theater; the old government building will be replaced by a new winter palace type building. Aside from this, 9 streets of Telavi will be rehabilitated, two central and three small squares; 6 parks and one central, Nadikavri Park, will be well-accommodated. The communication systems will be completely replaced and fiber optics internet will become accessible for the Telavi population. The rehabilitation process will end in the fall and the face of the city will change completely.

According to the President, the city development project belongs to the World Bank, the government of Georgia, and private foundations and the first stage of the rehabilitation will require a 120 million GEL investment.