Rustavi Highway

Overview

Rustavi Highway (Georgian: რუსთავის გზატკეცილი, Rustavis gzatketsili) is a major road in the Krtsanisi district of Tbilisi, in Fonichala (also spelled Ponichala). According to OpenStreetMap (OSM) data, the highway starts at a junction at the Right Embankment (about 41.6681° N, 44.8623° E) and runs south-east through Fonichala to the city limit, from where the road continues towards Rustavi.

The highway is part of the road of international importance S4 Tbilisi – Red Bridge (border of Azerbaijan). According to OSM, its length within Tbilisi (from the Right Embankment junction to the city limit) is about 7 km. In its north-western part the road has two separate carriageways (2–3 lanes in each direction); in the middle of Fonichala it is a four-lane two-way road; south of the Tsotne Dadiani Street junction it is mapped in OSM as a motorway with two lanes in each direction.

Route and junctions

According to OSM data, the main junctions on the highway, going south, are as follows (distances are approximate, measured along the road from the north-western end):

• 0 km — junction at the Right Embankment.

• About 2.3–2.4 km — the Marneuli Highway (S6) branches off, at Kvemo Fonichala.

• About 2.5–4.5 km — local streets: Rustavi Highway 1st Dead End and the 1st and 2nd Exits of Rustavi Highway.

• About 4.6–5.2 km — Marneuli Street and Vagzali Street (Zemo Fonichala).

• About 5.5 km — junction with Tsotne Dadiani Street; south of here the road is a motorway.

• About 6.9 km — a grade-separated interchange; in OSM the slip roads carry the destinations “Rustavi; Tsiteli Khidi” and “Tbilisi; Marneuli”.

• About 7 km — the administrative boundary of Tbilisi.

Location

In OSM and Nominatim address data, the entire city section of the highway belongs to Fonichala in the Krtsanisi district; along the road the neighbourhoods of Kvemo Fonichala and Zemo Fonichala are distinguished. The postcode is 0114. South of the city limit the road runs through Gardabani Municipality in the Kvemo Kartli region. The midpoint of the city section is at about 41.6544° N, 44.9015° E.

There is no metro station on the highway. The nearest metro station is Samgori, about 2 km from the north-western end in a straight line. According to OSM, the Fonichala railway stop is about 280 m from the highway.

Name and status

The highway is named after the city of Rustavi, to which the road leads. Rustavi is a city and municipality and the administrative centre of the Kvemo Kartli region; it has had city status since 19 January 1948. It lies on both banks of the Mtkvari (Kura) river, at about 350 m above sea level. No official document stating when the highway first received its name could be found.

By Tbilisi City Council Ordinance No. 118 of 15 May 2020 (“On the extension of Rustavi Highway”), a section of Tsotne Dadiani Street in the Krtsanisi district was given the name Rustavi Highway, according to the attached map.

In the list approved by Government of Georgia Decree No. 407 of 18 June 2014 (initial version), road S4 Tbilisi – Red Bridge is listed with a length of 57.0 km, of which 12.8 km is on the balance of Tbilisi. According to English Wikipedia, the S4 is part of the European routes E60 and E117, and until 1996 it was part of the Soviet-numbered M27 route.

Nearby places

• Public School No. 127 — address: 18 Rustavi Highway (about 55 m).

• Building of the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA) — OSM address: 22a Rustavi Highway (about 50 m).

• Business Academy of Georgia — about 70 m.

• Public School No. 218 — about 110 m; Public School No. 153 — about 225 m.

• St Barbara Church — about 265 m.

• Fonichala railway stop — about 280 m.

Distances are straight-line, calculated from OSM coordinates to the nearest point of the highway.

FAQ

1) Where is Rustavi Highway?
In the Krtsanisi district of Tbilisi, in Fonichala: from the junction at the Right Embankment south-east to the city limit, beyond which the road continues towards Rustavi.

2) How long is the highway within Tbilisi?
According to OpenStreetMap data, about 7 km from the Right Embankment junction to the city limit.

3) Which international road is it part of?
S4 (ს-4) Tbilisi – Red Bridge (border of Azerbaijan); the 2014 government list (Decree No. 407) gives its length as 57.0 km.

4) Where does the Marneuli Highway branch off?
According to OSM, at Kvemo Fonichala, about 2.3–2.4 km from the start of the highway; the Marneuli Highway is road S6.

5) What type of road is it?
In OSM the northern and middle parts are mapped as a trunk road, and the part south of the Tsotne Dadiani Street junction as a motorway with two lanes in each direction.

6) Has the highway been extended?
Yes. By Tbilisi City Council Ordinance No. 118 of 15 May 2020, a section of Tsotne Dadiani Street in the Krtsanisi district was given the name Rustavi Highway.

7) What is the nearest metro station?
Samgori, about 2 km from the north-western end of the highway in a straight line.

8) What comes after the city limit?
According to Nominatim, south of the limit the road runs through Gardabani Municipality in the Kvemo Kartli region towards Rustavi.

9) What is on or near the highway?
For example Public School No. 127 (18 Rustavi Highway), the Business Academy of Georgia, a building of the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs, Public Schools No. 218 and No. 153, and St Barbara Church.

10) What is the highway named after?
The city of Rustavi, the administrative centre of the Kvemo Kartli region, to which the road leads.

Sources

• Rustavi Highway (north-western section) — OpenStreetMap

• Rustavi Highway (at the Marneuli Highway) — OpenStreetMap

• Rustavi Highway (Fonichala section) — OpenStreetMap

• Rustavi Highway (motorway section) — OpenStreetMap

• Marneuli Highway — OpenStreetMap

• Tbilisi administrative boundary — OpenStreetMap

• Public School No. 127 — OpenStreetMap

• Georgian Institute of Public Affairs — OpenStreetMap

• St Barbara Church — OpenStreetMap

• Fonichala railway stop — OpenStreetMap

• Samgori metro station — OpenStreetMap

• Tbilisi City Council Ordinance No. 118 (15 May 2020) — Legislative Herald of Georgia (matsne.gov.ge)

• Government of Georgia Decree No. 407 (18 June 2014), list of roads — Legislative Herald of Georgia (matsne.gov.ge)

• S4 highway (Georgia) — English Wikipedia

• Rustavi — Georgian Wikipedia