Ossetian Military Road


Ossetian Military Road,

highway, c.170 mi (270 km) long, across the Caucasus, S European Russia and Georgia, linking Kutaisi with Alagir. One of the two main routes over the N Caucusus, it crosses the Caucasian crest through the pass at Mamison.

Ossetian Military Road

 

the historical name for the road through the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range (Mamison Pass, 2,829 m), connecting the railroad station at Dargkokh, Severnaia Ossetia ASSR, with the city of Kutaisi, Georgian SSR. Its length is 275 km.

Construction of the Ossetian Military Road was begun in 1858, and it was opened to traffic in 1888. The road proceeds along the Ardon River through the Kassarsk Gorge and the Mamison-Dona Gorge and after the pass enters the valley of the Rioni River, through which it proceeds to Kutaisi. Motor vehicles use it from Dargkokh to Buron and from Shovi to Kutaisi. The Ossetian Military Road has facilitated the development of economic life in western Georgia and northern Ossetia. It is picturesque and has helped develop tourism in the area as well.