The Romanian Government has designated RON 1.25 billion (EUR 256 million) in the draft budget submitted for public debate for the construction of Transylvanian motorways. The North Transylvanian Motorway (A3) would receive the largest amount, Hungarian maszol.ro reports based on a report out of Hotnews. The highway would connect the Bors (Borș) border crossing point near Nagyvárad (Oradea) to Bucharest as well as connect several large Transylvanian cities across the entire region.
If parliament accepts the draft budget without any amendments, the A3 motorway would receive the largest amount from the amount allocated to road infrastructure projects this year: RON 894 million (EUR 183 million) has been designated for the construction of the motorway, two and a half times more than last year.
This year, a large player in the highway construction industry, Dorinel Umbrărescu, owner of several significant companies, would also work on the Transylvanian Motorway. Umbrărescu would build, according to the signed contract, the Magyarnádas–Magyarzsombor (Nădășelu– Zimbor) and Magyarzsombor–Vaskapu (Poarta Sălajului) sections, which is a part of the section that connects Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca) with Zilah (Zalău). Another building contractor for the A3, the Nagyvárad-based Trameco company, will build the Bisztraterebes–Bihar (Chiribiș – Biharia) section near Nagyvárad, maszol.ro reports.
For the continuation of the Szászsebes–Torda (Sebeș–Turda) section of the A10 motorway, connecting the North Transylvanian and South Transylvanian Motorway, the draft earmarks RON 209 million (EUR 43 million), one quarter less than last year. The building of the Lugos–Déva (Lugoj–Deva) section of the A1 South Transylvanian Motorway received RON 146 million (EUR 29 million) in funding, almost double the budget of last year. Still, the tender for work on this section has been suspended.
From the budget of the Ministry of Transport RON 5.8 billion (EUR 1.1 billion) was designated for the development of infrastructure, 20 percent more than last year. From this, a total of RON 1.25 billion has been allocated to the construction of Transylvanian motorways. The section of the A3 motorway connecting Brassó (Brașov) to Bucharest and another section of the A1 highway, which connects Nagyszeben (Sibiu) to Pitești, also received more than half a billion lei (EUR 102 million), but all of these projects are outside of Transylvania.
The budget also has separate funding for the preparation of the feasibility studies of the Marosvásárhely (Târgu Mureș) – Târgu Neamț, Nagyszeben–Brassó and Brassó–Bacău motorways.
Minister Cătălin Drulă said that the 2021 budget of the Ministry of Transport is investment-focused, but they are also spending RON 617 million (EUR 126 million) on road infrastructure maintenance, 10 percent more than the budget last year.
For the development and maintenance of railway infrastructure, the budget has designated RON 6.82 billion (EUR 1.4 billion), 10 percent higher than last year. Shipping will receive 56.6 percent more than last year, a total of RON 645 million (EUR 132 million), while air transport infrastructure, on the other hand, will get only RON 308 million (EUR 63 million), 34.4 percent less than last year, maszol.ro writes.
Title image: If parliament accepts the draft budget without any amendments, the A3 motorway would receive the largest amount for road infrastructure projects this year. Photo: monitoruldecluj.ro
