The President of Georgia inspected the finished and ongoing works at Agmashenebeli Avenue and nearby streets today. Mikheil Saakashvili also opened the renovated Marjanishvili Street, where the restoration of cultural heritage monuments was administered and a new arch was built. Mikheil Saakashvili also spoke with the population and focused on the importance of the new projects. The Head of State spoke about the opportunities emerging as a result of implementation of the new projects. According to the President, so much construction has not taken place in any other historic period in Georgia. He also noted that the ongoing construction in Tbilisi will assist development of tourism and the increasing the number of investments.  The Head of State walked the renewed Marjanishvili Avenue with the Mayor of Tbilisi, Gigi Ugulava.

“A lot of things are happening in our lives, but when a person is busy with everyday problems that person does not realize the scale of the construction that is taking place in Tbilisi. We should understand that each new building increases the price of apartments located behind it by 30-60%. This means that accordingly, the opportunities for people are increasing and Tbilisi is developing and creating better living conditions. The capital is the center of rehabilitation these days, but Tbilisi has so many problems that on one hand, a lot is being done and you see this but on the other hand, we discover many more problems that we must deal with in the process. Such a contrast did not exist in the past. Now, when something is being done it is natural to see a huge contrast compared to what we have not touched yet. People’s demands are increasing more and more. Tbilisi has never had this many tourists. This means that many of the businesses have new opportunities. I accidentally passed near a liquor store the day before yesterday, and there was a line of foreigners buying Georgian Chacha. Hence, if there are 10 more stores they will be fully loaded with customers.  This is why everyone should think about opening small businesses. And we should think about assisting them. “Passage” was built here and a lot of stores should be opened…the economy must start moving and developing. These nice facades should assist development of tourism and accordingly the opening of new stores, cafes and souvenir production facilities. This will in its turn, provide new jobs. The old Georgian intelligentsia lives here, which was harmed the most during the 90s. People lost permanent jobs and it was like the  land was disappearing beneath their feet. A large part of the population is still like that today. This is why it is necessary to retrain these people so that they have new opportunities. I have never been prouder as a Tbilisian with my city” – stated the President of Georgia.

Mikheil Saakashvili also noted that the rehabilitation of Agmashenebeli Avenue does not end at the facades. According to him the nearby streets and yards will also be rehabilitated.

The President also toured the new underground crossway at Agmashenebeli Avenue, as well as the new underground parking space of European standards designed for 120 cars. According to him, building such a parking garage was necessary for tourism development.

“This is new Europe in Georgia. This is what I have seen in various European countries. The number of cars has practically doubled in the last 8 years in Tbilisi. This is not an indicator of the quality of life, but the number of cars has doubled since the Rose Revolution. A European parking system has been adopted, according to which there should be a parking Garage beneath every building. The most European street in Georgia has been built with all the necessary details” – noted the President.

Six houses have been fully restored on Agmashenebeli Avenue, four new houses built and the street infrastructure rehabilitated: external lights, underground communications, and irrigation systems replaced. The work is scheduled to end this fall.