The Problem of Year-Round Traffic Through the Pass of the Cross on the Georgian Military Highway

Abstract

AbstractAlthough the Georgian Military Highway was long the most important overland route through the central portion of the Caucasus, it played its principal role as a transport route in the second half of the 19th century after vehicular traffic was opened through the Pass of the Cross, at the top of the road. Its significance declined with the start of operation of a railroad through Baku at the start of the 20th century. The road was virtually abandoned after the Bolshevik Revolution, but was revived in 1942–43 during World War II in connection with military activities in the Caucasus. In the postwar period, the road has been maintained during the six summer months, but avalanches and snow drifting have regularly closed the road during the winter despite the construction of snow galleries in the pass section. The history of snow-removal operations is reviewed, and the construction of a tunnel in the pass segment is suggested to insure year-round movement of a growing volume of traffic.