TBILISI HAS LARGE-SCALE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS; MANY STREETS REBUILT AND WIDENED

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600370353-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2011
• Sequence Number: 353
• Publication Date: January 9, 1951
• Content Type: REPORT

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CLASSIFICATION SECRETSECRET
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS
COUNTRY USSR - Georgian SSR
SUBJECT Economic, Geographic - City construction
HOW
PUBLISHED Daily newspaper
WHERE
PUBLISHED Tbilisi
DATE
PUBLISHED 16 sep - 22 Oct 1950
LANGUAGE Russian
IN IS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFICTINH THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
Of THE UNITED STATEN WITHIN THE MEANING 01 ESPIONAGE ACT IO
U. S. C.. SI ANO SE. AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR THE RIVILATION
OF ITS CO"TINTS IN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORI1IO PRISON II PRO'
HIIITIJ r I.AW. REPRODUCTION Of THIS FORM II PROHIBITED.
SOURCE Zarya Vostoka.
REPOR'
CD NO.
DATE OF
INFORMATION 1950
DATE DIST. 7 Jan 1951
NO. OF PAGES 5
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
TBILISI HAS LARGE-SCALE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS;
MANY STREETS REBUILT AND WIDENED
umbers in parentheses refer to appended sources/
Extensive construction work is done in Tbilisi by the "Tbilisstroy" City
Construction Trust. At present, the trust is supervising 184 construction proj-
ects in the city. These include the embankment on the left bank of the Kura
River, installation of water mains in suburban resort places, construction of
rain pipes (livnespuski) on Chakvinskaya ulitsa and in Vake, a building of the
Institute of Physical Culture in Vake, apartment buildings on the embankment, on
ulitsa Melikishvili, and many others.
The trust has begun production of slag blocks with local pozzuolana cement,
as well as reinforced-concrete structures which are widely used by construction
projects. Most of the projects in Tbilisi are using the services of the trust
and' being supplied with construction parts and materials.
Although much.has been done by the trust, there is room for a great deal
of improvement. Mechanization is still inadequate and high-speed construction
methods are not being used sufficiently. The quality of the work could also
be improved.
Reconstruction of ulitsa Melikishvili in Tbilisi was begun in the summer of
1949. This street was originally only 13 meters wide. It is an important thor-
oughfare connecting the city center with the new rayon, Vake, and with suburban
resort places. In its former condition, it was unable to meet traffic require-
ments; during rush hours the traffic was tied up. The street has now been wid-
ened and asphalted. The ctreetcar tracks have been placed in the center of the
street and have reneived a solid foundation. Rails of the so-called Moscow type
were used, i.e., 18 centimeters high instead of the former 13-centimeter-high
rails. The street has been widened from 13 to 30 meters. It is actually an
entirely new thoroughfare. A number of n.w houses were built at the same time.
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SECRET
The number of pedestrians, automobiles, streetcars, and busses passing
through ulitsa Melikishvili has increased considerably since 1949, but there
are no more traffic tieups. (1)
Reconstruction of ulitsa Chelyuskintsev, especially the section of the
street between Plekhanovskiy prospekt and the railroad station, was begun in
the spring of 1950. This is one of the busiest streets in the city. The
streetcar tracks have been moved and placed on a solid concrete foundation
and the old rails were replaced with new ones. New water and sewer pipes
were laid on both sides of the street. A drainage system for ground water
has been built. Asphalting of the street is almost completed.
The street has been widened from 17 to 28-30 meters. New attractive
buildings have been built on this street, including apartment houses of the
Ministry of Local Industry Georgian SSR and of the Civil Air Fleet. A gen-
eral plan is now being worked out for the construction of a number of multi-
storied apartment houses.
The railroad station building has been reconstructed and the square in
front of the railroad station is to be widened in the near future. The sec-
tion of ulitea Chelyuskintsev between Plekhanovskiy prospekt and the bridge
Chelyuskintsev will also be widened soon in connection with construction of
the embankment on the left bank of the Kura River. (2)
Shortly before the war, construction of the embankment on the left side
of the Kura River, in Tbilisi was begun. The work was resumed in.1947 and has
been continuing with increasing speed. This is one of the most important con-
struction projects in Tbilisi. Work is now in progress between the Mirkes
bridge and the Elkabidze bridge.
A 16-meter-wide parkway is to run along the river bank. K large new apart-
ment house is to be built on the embankment between the Marksa bridge and the
heat and power plant. In site and number of apar*iments, it will exceed the 100-
apartment'unit on the Square of Heroes of the Soviet Union (Ploshohad' Geroyev
Sovetsko o Soyuza). Other houe.3s are to be built on the embankment in the near
future. (3)
Ulitsa Baratashvili (formerly called Mukhranskaya ulitsa used to be one
of the narrowest streets in the city center. It connected the right-bank city
rayons with the left river bank. The old Mukhranskaya ulitsa was one of the
cirst streets to be reconstructed. The street is now 35 meters wide and cov-
ered with asphalt. The streetcar tracks are laid in the center of the street
on a concrete foundation. On the left side of the street, coming from Kolkhoz-
naya ploshchad', the largest seven-story building in the city has been build)
it extends almost along the entire length of the street and has a capacity of
?84,000 cubic meters. The second section of this building is almost completed;
it will house workers of the Ministry of Light; Industry Georgian SBSR, of
"Zakuglesnabebyt" (Transcaucesus Office of Coa1?Supply,end Sales), and "Grus-
ehakhtoproyekt" (Georgian Trust for Planning of Mining Enterprises). This is
one of the best-looking buildings in the 'city. A similar building is to be
built on the right side of the street. (4)
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I
SECRET
Gram-Gele is a newly developed district of Tbilisi, which extends from
Magnitogroskaya ulitsa to the Tbilisi Tea-Processing Factory in Avchala. During
the past 20 years, Grma-Gele has changed beyond recognition and has become an im-
portant industrial district. Local plants and factories produce large turning
lathes and bolt-cutting lathes for the industry of the entire USSR, as well as
plastic products, knitwear, wearing apparel, upri.s~ht pianos, bricks, construc-
tion blocks, and marble slabs. There are also repair plants for electric loco-
motives and automobiles.
Building is continuing in the new district. There is a block of large
partment buildings for workers of the Plant imeni Kirov. The main thoroughfare
crossing Grma-Gele is a continuation of Sovetskaya ulitsa, the longest street
in Tbilisi. New residential city blocks are being built near the Tbilisi Loco-
motive Repair Plant, near the brick and concrete-block combine of "Zakmetallurg-
stroy" (Transcaucasus Metallurgical Construction) Trust, and near other plants
and factories. A new streetcar line will soon be built from Magnitogorskaya
ulitsa to the tea-processing factory and the champagne combine. This will con-
nect Grma-Gele more closely with the city. (5)
Great changes have taken place on prospekt imeni Plekhanov, one of the cen-
tral streets of Tbilisi. New large buildings have been erected on this street.
At the intersection of prospekt imeni Plekhanov and ulitsa Mardzhanishvili, which
is the busiest traffic center, a large new square has been built in place of the
former narrow thoroughfare. The square is surrounded by impressive multistoried
buildings. The two new buildings situated at opposite sides of the square form
an architectural unit, creating an impression of height and width. These two
large buildings determine the future plan for the reconstruction of the square.
The largest and moat modern hospital of the city is to be built on one of its
corners. A large apartment house is under construction next to the park of
the Officiers' Club (Dom Ofitserov). Prospekt imeni Plekhanov is well known
for its large number of parks and gardens.
The trolley-bus line runs down the entire length of the street. There are
busses, taxicabs, and two streetcar lines on the parallel side streets, which
provide convenient transportation to this part of the city. (6)
The part of Tbilisi called Saburtalo was until recently an undeveloped area
with few small dwellings. During the past few years, this city suburb has changed
fundamentally. Large impressive buildings have been erected in this area. Here
are located the Tbilisi Institute of Railroad Transport Engineers, the Scientific
Research Institute of Bacteriophage, and the medical center. Construction of :
large buildings for the Polytechnical Institute and the Metallurgical Tekhnikum
is almost finished. Buildings of the Academy of -Sciences Georgian SSR will be
located in Saburtalo.
The largest garages of the city are found on Saburtalinskaya ulitsa. A re-
A bus
to
of the Soviet vicinity.
pair plant
near automiles
Heroes built
Union.
the Square is
terminal will be built Construction. in Saburtalo is continuing. "Gruzneft "' is building a new
apartment house ih the same architectural style as the 1,0-apartment house on
the Square of Heroes of the Soviet Union; another apartment house is being built
for scientific workers.
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A special zone in Saburtalo has been apportioned to individual home builders
The section of Voyenno-Gruzit.skaya doroga between Alt`imetskaya ulitsa and the In-
stitute of Bacteriophage is now being widened and asphalted. A new asphalt road
for trolley buses and busses is being built to'the Medical Center.
Saburtalo has long been called the gateway to Tbilisi. Here ends the Voy-
enno-Gruzinskaya doroga, which connects Georgia with the North Caucasus. (7)
-4 -
SECRET
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The Square of Heroes of the Soviet Union is one of the most attractive
areas t;f Tbilisi. Expecially outstanding is the 11-story, 100-apartment build-
ing on this square. Opposite it is the monumental building of the circus, one
of the largest and best-equipped in the Soviet Union. Next to the circus, a
new four-story building of a silk-weaving factory is nearing completion. The
whole area is planted abundantly with trees.
In the next few years, new buildings are to appear on this square, includ-
to Academy
ofgthesettlement
be connectedeby a direct street with thedistrictrofs
Union is the
Vake. (8)
Much construction is in progress on ulitsa Brdzola in Tbilisi. The "Sovet-
skaya Gruziya" Cloth FPPtory has been built on this street. Other industrial
buildings and a large Dettlement of apartment houses have grown up around the
factory. New multistoried school buildings have also been built on this street,
one for 880 and the other for 440 children. A number of enterprises of the
food industry are under construction, including a chocolate factory, a meat
and dairy combine, and a mechanized bakery. Large warehouses and workyards of
many construction organizations have been put into operation in this vicinity.
During 1949, the street was asphalted as far as the streetcar stop of the
cloth factory. In 1950, the section connecting ulitsa BtdZolaoanddMagnitogor-
dis-
skaya ulitsa was asphalted and developed. In this way,
tricts of Leninskiy and Stalinskiy rayons have been connected.
In the near future, construction of the Digomskiy bridge will begin at
the end of ulitsa Brdzola. This bridge will establish a direct connection
between Voyenno-Gruzinskaya doroga and the left-bank and right-bank city
areas. (9)
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r
51'.1
SOURCES
(All sources are from Zarya Vostoka, on dates indicated)
1.
16 Sep 50
2.
17 Sep 50
3.
19. Sep 50
4.
21 Sep 50
5.
22 Sep 50
6.
24 Sep 50
7.
30 Sep 50
8.
5 Oct 50
9.
22 Oct 50
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