It has been built as a two lane road, but designs have been developed to upgrade the southern part of the S3 between Natakhtari and Zhinvali to a 2x2 motorway (or dual carriageway) as a northern extension of the S9 Tbilisi Bypass.

[8] The upper parts of the highway in the Caucasus Mountains are prone to landslides and heavy snow, which lead to frequent road closures and long (truck) queues.

This has led to initiatives by Armenia and Russia to move Georgia to facilitate other available overland routes via its breakaways South Ossetia (Roki Tunnel) and Abkhazia to spread traffic and liability to delays.

[11] This was spurred after two massive landslides in 2014 which killed 7 people, heavily damaged the Georgian border checkpoint and blocked traffic for nearly two months in total.

[12] In 2021, as part of the 'North-South Corridor' project upgrading the Armenia - Russia route, the construction of a 23 kilometres (14 mi) long bypass of ski resort Gudauri has started, between Kvesheti and Kobi.

The bypass intends to avoid not only the ski resort, but also the 2,379 metres (7,805 ft) high Jvari Pass, which is prone to heavy snowfall and disruption for commercial cross-border traffic.

It will be routed through the Khada Valley and will consist of a two-lane road plus a separate uphill lane for heavy traffic (2+1) and a 9.06 kilometres (5.63 mi) tunnel through the Sadzele mountain, the longest in the Caucasus region.

The Jvari Pass is part of the north-south watershed of the Caucasus Mountains which separates the Aragvi and Terek river basins.

On the north side of the pass the Georgian Military Highway gradually descends to Kobi where the new Gudauri Bypass will join the S3 at an altitude of 1970 m (6460 ft).

Via a few small villages the highway reaches Stepantsminda, the (administrative) center of Kazbegi Municipality and the site of the iconic Gergeti Trinity Church which looms over the Georgian Military Road from above.