As we presented earlier (click for stories here, here or here), for some reason the construction of motorways is beyond the capabilities of the Romanian leadership. The country has less than 1,000 km of motorways, a figure that is growing very slowly. But now it seems that a new motorway might be constructed, as the state-owned road infrastructure management company (CNAIR) took the first steps in the building of a motorway in northern Romania.
According to Romanian business newspapers, CNAIR published the call for tenders for the feasibility study of the motorway connecting Nagybánya/Baia Mare with Suceava. Currently, the 338 kilometers between the two cities can be traveled on public roads in more than 5 hours.
According to the document, the call consists of three sections of road. The first one will connect Nagybánya with Beszterce/Bistrița, with an estimated price tag of RON 19.4 bln (approximately EUR 4 bln) without VAT. The second part will run between Beszterce and Dornavátra/Vatra Dornei and cost an estimated RON 16.5 bln (EUR 3.5 bln) without VAT. And the third will connect Dornavátra with Suceava, with a cost of approximately RON 17.6 bln (EUR 3.7 bln) without VAT.
The deadline for the call is January 8, 2020, and winning applicants would have 15 months to complete each part.
The construction of the motorway is to be financed by the EU’s Operational Program for Transport.
Title image (illustration): The applicants have 15 months to complete each section of the motorway. Photo: CNAIR/Facebook
