Upper Lars: risk zone

The Caucasus Mountains are one of the youngest on the planet. They stretch from the shores of the Black and to the shores of the Caspian Sea, covering many republics of the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia. Among them: South Ossetia, Georgia, North Ossetia.

The beginning of the way

There is an excellent opportunity to get to Georgia not by air and not by sea, but by ordinary land transport - by car. To do this, today does not require a visa for Russians. Although in the recent past a visit to the Georgian representation was a necessity. Upper Lars is a settlement where the checkpoint is located. It is through him that travelers traveling to Georgia pass by. This path is chosen by all who need to get to the republics of Transcaucasia, Turkey or Iran.

And the beginning of the road takes in Vladikavkaz, the republic of Ossetia-Alania. From the city you can get by bus, shuttle bus to the village in the mountains. The length of the road is only 40 km - not a very long road. Upper Lars - this is the crossing point on the border with Georgia. Border crossing works around the clock, but it should not be crossed on foot, but on any transport. Next - the Daryal checkpoint, the former name of which is Kazbegi. Having passed the first 10 km on the territory of Georgia, the traveler meets the first village - Stepantsminda.

Gorge Attractions

The road through the village of Upper Lars passes along the Darial Gorge. These are very beautiful places. In good weather, you can make wonderful photos of mountain landscapes. Many tourists make a stop in the village of Stepantsminda, where there are hotels, shops and khinkal. You can visit the church of the Holy Trinity. There is a panoramic view of the Kazbek mountain. Lovers of photography take a lot of pictures with a view of the famous snow top. But the mountain roads are very complex and dangerous. Often they are hit by natural disasters, in the form of avalanches, mudflows, eruptions.

Element on the territory of Georgia

One of the devastating mudflows descended on May 17, 2014 in the Darial Gorge. This event made it impossible to travel through the checkpoints - they are closed. The road through Upper Lars was temporarily closed. To get to the territory of Georgia, you need to change the route and get another way. The element caused damage to the inhabitants of the villages, which are located in the gorge. Rescuers are on duty and will be able to evacuate the population if there is a threat to them.

Passage of cars was suspended through the checkpoint : the military-Georgian road is blocked. The villages of Nizhny and Upper Lars, Chmi were in tension for a long time. Those tourists who got to Georgia before the descent of the mudflow had to return home through Armenia and Azerbaijan. On both sides accumulated a huge number of heavy vehicles, which did not have time to cross the border to the elements.

Restoration of traffic

Customs officers were temporarily evacuated because of the constant threat of flooding. In the villages , the fire fighting vehicles were on duty. A speakerphone system was in operation to alert the public about the threat. In order to fully restore all the damage caused by the disaster, it will take almost a year of work. Therefore, over the flow, a temporary road was laid, along which it was possible to pass transport. Checkpoint Upper Lars earned in a month - June 16. In both directions more than two thousand cars were sent. Weather conditions, torrential rains, did not allow to begin work in full force. In addition, not everyone knew that the checkpoint was open. But gradually the process has entered the previous channel. When the main route is restored and the transition to it from the temporary road is made, it is not yet clear. But the restoration work is underway.

The Darial Gorge is a risk zone

After the events of May 17, when due to the disaster the Terek was closed and there was a threat of flooding of villages and checkpoints, special radars were installed in the gorge. They must catch all the fluctuations in the rocks and fix them. Thanks to radars and warning systems , in August the service received a signal - warning about the danger. The population and employees of the checkpoint were evacuated on time. On August 20, a landslide came down in the Daryal Gorge. The road was again blocked. Georgia, Upper Lars and the checkpoint are closed again. Work is underway to clean and restore the damage caused by the elements. The management promises that in 10 days everything will be done and the transition will work. Elgudzha Khokrishvili is the Georgian Minister for Regional Development, who deals with infrastructure problems. The Ministry of Georgia plans to implement a project that will help to build protection for the road in the Daryal Gorge: in the future, neither villages, nor landslides could harm the environment. Moreover, such incidents take the lives of both motorists and residents of the surrounding villages. Thanks to the rescuers, who saved lives for truck drivers and builders of hydroelectric power plants, there were few injured.