Vorontsov Embankment, Michael Bridge on January 18 (Epiphany). 1880

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The first stone - Michael bridge, across the Mtkvari River was built in the 19c. Its construction was necessitated by communication purposes of the rapidly growing (since the 1840s.) districts of Kukia, Chugureti, German settlement, and on the left bank, with the town's center. As the Mtkvari River flower here in two arms forming a large at in between, two bridges were built. In the years of Soviet power the right arm of the river was drained, a stretch of embankment runs here now. The smaller bridge was one-arch bridge, the bigger had three arches, each about 32 m. long.  But during construction work it was thought expedient to have five arches for the bigger bridge, each 19m. long. The smaller bridge was 11m. wide, the bigger - 9 m. The construction of the bigger bridge began on December 7, 1848, the event commemorated by placing a bronze plaque under the right bank abutment. Became operational on November 20, 1853. Work on the smaller bridge started on September 21, 1849  (other sources mention February of 1848) was opened in 1851. Designed in 1847 by architect J. Skudieri (1817-1851). The bridge was named Vorontsov. In 1960 due to increased traffic the bridge was reconstructed., but the one-arch smaller bridge has retained the original configuration. Its arch is one of the longest for stone bridges in our country. At the end of the 19c. the both bridges were named Nicholas, and the bigger one  at the beginning of the 20c. became known as Vorontsov Bridge. The 1850s saw the beginning of construction work in Vorontsov Embankment, which got its name in 1867. Previously the Embankment Street ran here, the contemporary Dimitri Uznadze Street.

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