Cost hike on Romania’s first motorway tunnel

Construction is underway on the Momaia motorway tunnel in Romania. Image: Porr

The main element of the project is the 1.3km Momaia tunnel, which will be the first twin tunnel ever built on a Romanian motorway.

The two tunnel tubes will traverse the Momaia mountain and be connected to each other by three cross-passages.

Following the cost increase, the total investment value of the project stands at €400 million.

The decision to increase the cost of the project, being undertaken by Austrian contractor Porr, is reportedly due to escalating construction-related expenses.

Challenging terrain

Project manager Norbert Horelein said, “It is a state-of-the-art technology for tunnel construction and monitoring worldwide,” adding, “The ground is soft, it’s like digging in the sand.”

The contract between CNAIR and Porr was signed towards the end of 2021, with construction starting this spring.

The contract covers a 60-month project, combining a 16-month design phase and a 44-month construction phase. The project is slated for completion at the end of 2026.

Porr has recruited a workforce of 300 labourers and a fleet of 100 machines for the project, as well as assembling a team of 60 tunnelling experts from Austria, with the number expected to double as work on the tunnel progresses.