Romanian Motorways Review - Q2 2014

27 June 2014. (c) 130km.ro.

The second quarter of 2014 was mostly uneventful for Romania's motorway projects once again (no new openings this quarter). Find below a review of relevant news for each Romanian motorway project under construction or under review.

I. A1 MOTORWAY (Bucharest - Nadlac)

Pitesti - Sibiu: Tender process for a new feasibility study was finally launched. The following opening dates were announced for this section: 2017 for the Sibiu - Boita segment and 2019 for the Pitesti - Curtea de Arges (with extension to Ramnicu Valcea) segment. No definite deadline for Boita - Curtea de Arges announced, but other declarations estimated that the entire Sibiu - Pitesti section will be opened "by 2020". To add to the confusion, the most recent declarations stated that the entire section will be finished before 2019.

Orastie - Sibiu: Some relatively goods news here, as the contract for segment 3 was not canceled, as announced previously. Unfortunately, the opening date was extended from end-2014 to 2015.

Deva - Lugoj: No significant news, works continue on segments 3 and 4, with works on segment 2 to start soon. Hopefully opening dates will be in 2015.

Lugoj - Timisoara: Works continue on segment 2, no significant news.

Arad - Nadlac: The tender for finshing work on segment 2 was finally launched (this segment is 80-85% complete), while works continue on segment 1 which will hopefully be opened in 2014.

II. A3 MOTORWAY (Bucharest - Bors)

Bucharest - Ploiesti: It seems that the contract for finalising the last 6.5 kms of this section was indeed canceled, as announced previously. Still, it's unclear if some length of this difference will be opened 2014 or not. Works expected to be completed by end-2015.

Ploiesti - Brasov: Announced numerous times in past months, the signing of the contract for Comarnic - Brasov did not happen yet. Most recent declarations state that signing "is imminent". In the meantime it was found that the environmental license for this section will need to be renewed, and there was some debate as to this section's impact on Romania's budget deficit. One piece of good news: expropriations started on this section.

Brasov - Targu Mures: No significant news on this section.

Targu Mures - Gilau: Tender launched for Ogra - Campia Turzii segment.

Gilau - Bors: It was announced that funds were allocated for finishing works on Suplacu de Barcau - Bors.

III. A10 MOTORWAY (Sebes - Turda)

Some good news for this motorway - contracts were signed for segments 3 and 4, and work started on 20 May. Signing of contracts for segments 1 and 2 estimated for July, after challenges are finalised.

III. OTHER PROJECTS

A major development was the launch of numerous tenders for drafting/revising feasibility studies for many proposed motorway sections all over Romania: Craiova - Calafat, Ploiesti - Buzau, Buzau - Focsani, Bucharest - Alexandria, Bacau - Pascani, Brasov - Bacau, Focsani - Bacau, Pascani - Siret, Alexandria - Craiova, Bucharest - Giurgiu, Targu Mures - Ditrau, Ditrau - Targu Neamt, Targu Neamt (Pascani) - Iasi - Ungheni, Buzau - Braila - Galati, Sibiu - Fagaras, Bucharest North Motorway (some were already challenged).

A transport "masterplan" was published which includes all the known proposals, as well as some new ones (Braila - Constanta, Suplacu de Barcau - Satu Mare); for a list of all motorway proposals in Romania, visit this page.

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