The Georgian S8 route ( Georgian: საერთაშორისო მნიშვნელობის გზა ს8, ''Saertashoriso mnishvnelobis gza S8'', road of international importance), also known as

Khashuri Khashuri ( ka, ხაშური ) is a city in the central part of Georgia and is the 9th largest settlement in Georgia. It is the administrative centre of Khashuri Municipality. It is located on the Shida Kartli plain, on the Suramula river ...

–

Akhaltsikhe Akhaltsikhe ( ka, ახალციხე ), formerly known as Lomsia ( ka, ლომსია ), is a small city in Georgia's southwestern region () of Samtskhe–Javakheti. It is the administrative center of the Akhaltsikhe Municipality and ...

Vale A vale is a type of valley. Vale may also refer to: Places Georgia * Vale, Georgia, a town in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region Norway * Våle, a historic municipality Portugal * Vale (Santa Maria da Feira), a former civil parish in the municip ...

( border of the Republic of Turkey), is a "road of international importance" within the Georgian system and runs from

via

Borjomi Borjomi ( ka, ბორჯომი ) is a resort town in south-central Georgia with a population of 11,173 (as of 2024). Located 165 km from Tbilisi, it is one of the six municipalities of the Samtskhe–Javakheti region and is situated in the ...

and

to the border with

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

near

over a distance of . After crossing the

Georgia–Turkey border The Georgia–Turkey border ( ka, საქართველო–თურქეთის საზღვარი, ) is 273 km (170 miles) in length and runs from the Black Sea coast in the west to the tripoint with Armenia in the east. ...

the highway continues as D955 to

Ardahan Ardahan ( ka, არტაანი, tr; ; Russian: Ардаган) is a city in northeastern Turkey, near the Georgian border. It is the seat of Ardahan Province and Ardahan District.European route E691 between Akhaltsikhe and the Turkish border, and part of the Asian Highway AH82 between Khashuri and Akhaltsikhe. It connects with the Georgian S11 highway in Akhaltsikhe. The road is mostly located in the

Samtskhe–Javakheti Samtskhe–Javakheti ( ka, სამცხე-ჯავახეთი, , ) is a region (mkhare) in southern Georgia with a population of 147,400 (2023) and an area of . The region has Akhaltsikhe as its administrative center. Samtskhe–Javakheti ...

region, while its Khashuri segment is located in the

Shida Kartli Shida Kartli ( ka, შიდა ქართლი, , ; "Inner Kartli") is a landlocked administrative region (''Mkhare'') in eastern Georgia. It comprises a central part of the historical-geographic province of Shida Kartli. With an area of , S ...

region. The S8 highway route follows the Kura river through its gorge until Akhaltsikhe and reaches a maximum altitude of above sea level at the

Background

From the early 1980s to 1996 the current S8 route between

and

was referred to as A308 within the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

road network. The A308 connected the M27 Soviet highway (now Georgian S1 highway) in Khashuri with the A306 in Akhaltsikhe which ran between

Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ), historically Batum or Batoum, is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second-largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast ...

and

Gyumri Gyumri (, ) is an urban municipal community and the List of cities and towns in Armenia, second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th centur ...

(

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

). The latter included a section West of Akhaltsikhe that is nowadays part of the S8. The remainder of the current S8 between the junction to Batumi and the Turkish border was unnumbered. Prior to the 1980s the route was unnumbered as was the case with most Soviet roads. When Georgia's road numbering system was revised in 1996 the "roads of international importance" (S-)category was introduced. The "S8

( border of the Republic of Turkey)" replaced the A308 designation with an additional from Akhaltsikhe to the Turkish border. This included a section that was formerly part of the A306 route. The S8 is an important route for traffic to the

region and tourist destinations

and

Bakuriani Bakuriani ( ka, ბაკურიანი) is a daba and a ski resort in the Borjomi district of Georgia. It is located on the northern slope of the Trialeti Range, at an elevation of 1,700 meters (5,576 feet) above sea level. Geography T ...

. Prior to the opening of the Kartsakhi

crossing via the S13 highway the Vale border crossing played an important role in transit traffic between

and

. Yet, the S8 still plays an important role for through traffic between Georgia and (East-)Turkey. While the Sh1 state highway to

offers a southern connection from the S8 at Akhaltsikhe to the

Autonomous Republic of Adjara Adjara ( ka, აჭარა ''Ach’ara'' ) or Achara, officially known as the Autonomous Republic of Adjara ( ka, აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა ''Ach’aris Avt’onomiuri Resp’ublik’a ...

, the dilapidated state of that road in the highlands west of Adigeni reduces its practical use. Until 2020 the S1 and S8 highways connected directly in the center of Khashuri. In summer 2020 the Khashuri Bypass in the S1 highway opened, which means the S1 bypasses Khashuri between the Agarebi intersection and Surami. The old S1 section from Agarebi into Khashuri and Surami does not have a new road number as of 2021, but inclusion in the Sh203 can be anticipated. The Sh203 was introduced to reassign the old S1 route between Kareli and Agarebi.

Future

As of 2021 there are no plans to upgrade the S8 highway to higher standards, nor are there any plans to bypass Khashuri between the S1 and S8 highways. For the foreseeable future transit traffic will have to continue to pass through Khashuri town.

Route

The Samtskhe-Javakheti region through which the S8 highway mostly runs is part of the

Armenian Highlands The Armenian highlands (; also known as the Armenian upland, Armenian plateau, or Armenian tableland)Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: ...

which defines the geography of the area. The S8 highway follows the Kura river gorge to

and gradually climbs from above sea level in

to at the

. In a radius around the highway the mountains reach to above sea level. The S8 highway starts at the main

roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

in the center of Khashuri, formerly the junction of the S1 and S8 highways. Khashuri is known among passers-by for its hammocks sold along the through road in town. At Kviskheti village the S8 joins the left bank of the Kura river and enters the river gorge, leaving behind the plain around Khashuri. The curvy road passes through a handful of villages and reaches Georgia's prime tourist destination

after . In Borjomi the long Sh20 state route leads to

skiresort and terminates in

Akhalkalaki Akhalkalaki ( ka, ახალქალაქი, tr ; ) is a town in Georgia (country), Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe–Javakheti and the administrative centre of the Akhalkalaki Municipality. Akhalkalaki lies on the edge of the Javakheti ...

via the high Tskhratskaro Pass in the

Ktsia-Tabatskuri Managed Reserve Ktsia-Tabatskuri Managed Reserve ( ka, ქცია-ტაბაწყურის აღკვეთილი) is a protected area in Akhalkalaki Municipality in Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia. It protects Tabatskuri Lake, wetland and alp ...

. After passing through Borjomi the S8 continues to Akhaltsikhe, the next main town ahead through the Kura river gorge. Shortly before reaching Akhaltsikhe the highway and Kura river separate while the river gorge widens to a valley. In Akhaltsikhe the S8 intersects with the northern terminus of the S11 highway while prominent direction signs for the

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

and

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

border indicate the international dimension of both highways. This is also the point of overlap with the E691 route which connects Turkey and Armenia through Georgia via the S8 and S11 highways. The highway then passes through the central area of the Akhaltsikhe, along the (defunct) railway station and the access road to the local tourist attraction,

Rabati Castle Akhaltsikhe (Rabati) Castle ( ka, ახალციხის (რაბათის) ციხე) is a medieval fortress built in the 9th century under the name "Lomsia Castle" in the city of Akhaltsikhe in southern Georgia, recently globally r ...

. A few kilometers West of Akhaltsikhe the East terminus of the Sh1 state route to Batumi junctions with the S8 highway. For the remaining the S8 climbs up to the Turkish border via Vale town and becomes the Turkish D955 after the border.

Intersections

References

{{Georgian S-road network Roads in Georgia (country) Articles containing video clips