The gastronomic street on Shota Rustaveli is set to open in the second quarter of 2025. This was announced in an interview with Spot by Nurbek Shamsiev, the deputy mayor of the Yakkasar district.
The future gastronomic street will stretch 1.8 km, featuring 154 commercial establishments, including 2 hotels, 19 cafes and restaurants, 85 shops, and 32 service points. The street will run from Pushkin Park to the "Russia" hotel.
The street project was developed by Dizayn Fabrikasi, with the Turkish company KOÇ Construction as the contractor. The construction will be carried out in two phases: first, the renovation of the park near the Pushkin monument will be completed, followed by work on Shota Rustaveli Street itself.
According to the project, the facades of the buildings along the street will be renovated, a 1.6 km bike lane will be constructed, 40 benches and 10 ramps will be installed, and landscaping will be carried out. Additionally, the reconstruction of bus stops and sidewalks, the installation of a Wi-Fi zone, and a small stage for street musicians are expected.
“We will be renovating the facades of cultural heritage buildings, which may take some time as we need to obtain permission for this. Moreover, we plan to make the sidewalks uniform in width; currently, they vary from wider to narrower,” said the deputy mayor.
As per Shamsiev, the work in the park next to the Pushkin monument is 35-40% complete. According to him, the park will be a focal point for the gastronomic street. The theme of the recreational park will be water-oriented, with various fountains, water-based swings, as well as bike and jogging paths and a children's playground expected to be installed.
Shamsiev mentioned that the project's expertise is not yet completed, but it is already known that the allocated 20 billion sums are insufficient for the renovation of the gastronomic street.
Furthermore, the deputy mayor pointed out that summer terraces are not included in the project; however, entrepreneurs can propose to add them to the project plan by contacting the hokimiyat. The construction of terraces will be financed by the establishment owners, while the hokimiyat will handle landscaping and lighting. If funds are insufficient, entrepreneurs can seek assistance from the hokimiyat to obtain a preferential loan through any bank.
There are 26 vacant commercial spaces on the gastronomic street; however, Shamsiev clarified that the hokimiyat is not involved in their leasing. All available spaces have owners who lease them out. The hokimiyat itself will not establish trade points.
To ensure safety, additional cameras will be installed with recordings transmitted to a central server of the National Guard. Car parking will be organized along the curb on both sides of the roadway.
Previously, Spot reported on what the gastronomic street on Sadik Azimov would look like.