Part of the highway has been upgraded in recent years to a single carriageway with hard shoulder bypassing residential communities.

In that year the "roads of international importance" (S-)category was introduced and the "ს2 Senaki-Poti-Sarpi (Turkish border)" replaced the A-305 number.

The crisis resulted in the central government of Georgia regaining authority over the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, the location of the tunnel.

[7] In 2005 the Georgian government initiated the East-West Highway project, an ambitious internationally sponsored long term project which aims to create a 455 kilometres (283 mi) east-west transport corridor through Georgia, connecting Azerbaijan and Armenia with Turkey by upgrading Georgian sections of the E60 (Poti-Tbilisi-Red Bridge, Azerbaijan) and E70 (Poti-Batumi-Sarpi, Turkey) highways to strengthen Georgia's position as South Caucasus transport hub.

As early as 2005 the Georgian government identified and studied the need for bypasses around Kobuleti and Batumi for a better traffic flow in connection with the S12 Samtredia — Grigoleti.

The project envisions to upgrade the S2 between Grigoleti and Shekvetili as extension of the S12 to (2x2) expressway/motorway standards and the Kobuleti and Batumi Bypasses as two-lane expressway.

[15] The connection of the S2 with the S12 (under construction as 2x2 motorway) will be moved to the southside of the Supsa river mouth for a seamless flow of the S12 into the S2 in southern direction.

Below is an overview of S2 sections that have been or are being upgraded within the East-West Highway project, in consecutive order from North (Grigoleti) to South (Sarpi).

Between Senaki and Poti the road passes through a few villages and runs along the Senaki-Poti railway line through the Rioni river delta.

At the north side of the city the highway turns south at which corner the European E70 route has its eastern terminus.

The S2 highway leaves Poti city in southern direction via the narrow strip of land that separates Lake Paliastomi from the Black Sea.

The Kobuleti Bypass extends South for 30 kilometres (19 mi) until the northern area of Batumi near its famous Botanical Garden.

At Chakvi the highway passes through the dual tube 4-lane Chakvi-Makhinjauri tunnel which opened in 2005 and relieved traffic from a very curvy passage across the hills.

In the meantime the highway reaches the Black Sea coast and enters Batumi, Georgia's second largest city.