The Georgian S6 route ( Georgian: საერთაშორისო მნიშვნელობის გზა ს6, ''Saertashoriso mnishvnelobis gza S6'', road of international importance), also known as Ponichala–

Marneuli Marneuli ( ka, მარნეული , ) is a city in the Kvemo Kartli region of southern Georgia and administrative center of Marneuli Municipality that borders neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia. Toponymy According to Georgian sources, the ...

–Guguti ( Armenian border), is a "road of international importance" within the Georgian road network and runs from Ponichala in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

via

and

Bolnisi Bolnisi ( ka, ბოლნისი) is a city in the country of Georgia (country), Georgia, located in the Kvemo Kartli region and capital of the Bolnisi district. It currently has an estimated 8,348 (January 1, 2024) inhabitants. History Boln ...

to the border with

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 ...

near Guguti over a distance of . After crossing the Georgian-Armenian border the highway continues as M3 to

Vanadzor Vanadzor (, ) is an urban municipal community and the third largest city in Armenia, serving as the capital of Lori Province in the northern part of the country. It is located about north of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 census, the city h ...

and

Ashtarak Ashtarak ( ) is a town in the Ashtarak Municipality of the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, located on the left bank of Kasagh River along the gorge, 20 kms northwest of the capital Yerevan. It is the administrative centre of the province and an i ...

, northwest of

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

. The S6 highway is entirely part of European E117 route xwhile the Ponichala to Marneuli segment is also part of the Asian AH81 highway. The route connects with the Georgian S4 highway at its northern terminus in Ponichala and with the S7 highway in

. Furthermore, the road is mostly located in the

Kvemo Kartli Kvemo Kartli ( ka, ქვემო ქართლი ) or "Lower Kartli", is a historic province and current administrative region (mkhare) in southeastern Georgia. The city of Rustavi is the regional capital. Location Kvemo Kartli is a region ...

region as a two lane road, while the three kilometers in Ponichala are located in the capital region with four lanes.

Background

Since the early 1980s the current S6 route was referred to as A304 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, which extended to

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 ...

via

Tashir Tashir () is a town and urban municipal community located in Lori Province at the north of Armenia. It is located north of the provincial centre Vanadzor and north of the capital Yerevan. As per the January 2023 official estimate, the populatio ...

in the

Armenian SSR The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (ArSSR), also known as Soviet Armenia, or simply Armenia, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union, located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Soviet Armenia bordered the Soviet republics ...

(nowadays Armenian routes H31 and M1). In Marneuli the A304 connected with the A310 highway ( Georgian S7 highway). Prior to the 1980s the route was one of the few Soviet roads to have a number, highway 16, which ran from

Vladikavkaz Vladikavkaz, formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () or Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. It is located in the southeast of the republic at the foothills of the Caucasus, situated on the Terek (river), Terek River. ...

(Ordzhonikidze) via Tbilisi to

(Leninakan). In the first years since

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

regained independence in 1991, the Soviet route designations were maintained until the road numbering system was revised in 1996 and the "roads of international importance" (S-)category was introduced. Then the "S7 Ponichala–

–Guguti ( Armenian border)" replaced the A304 designation. The S6 is part of the most popular route between

and

, with most traffic taking the Georgian S7 highway in Marneuli which offers alternative routes within

Future

As of 2021 there are no plans to upgrade the S6 highway to higher standards or capacity. Most noteworthy is the 2020 rehabilitation of between Saparlo and Guguti (Armenian border). This section was in a very poor condition.

Route

The S6 highway branches off the S4 highway in Ponitchala at the south side of

. For the first 4 km within the Tbilisi capital region the road has 4 lanes with a median. Upon entering the

region it narrows to a 2 lane highway. Until the town of

the road passes a few villages, while at Koda the important Sh31 regional highway to

Tsalka Tsalka ( ka, წალკა, tr , , or , ) is a town and municipality center in southern Georgia (country), Georgia's Kvemo Kartli region. Population The district had a population of 2,326. According to the 2014 census, 47% of its population ...

and

Ninotsminda Ninotsminda ( Georgian: ნინოწმინდა ; Armenian: Նինոծմինդա) is a town and a center of the Ninotsminda Municipality located in Georgia's southern district of Samtskhe-Javakheti. According to the 2014 census the tow ...

branches off. The centre of Marneuli is an important crossroads. The S7 highway to

begins at the central roundabout in town. This is the most popular way to Armenia from Tbilisi. The S6 continues to

and passes through a string of villages. After Bolnisi the road turns south towards Armenia and passes some important historic sites in Georgian history.

Intersections

References

{{Georgian S-road network Roads in Georgia (country)