Transylvania motorway to get renewed government commitment

Romanian Prime Minister Emil Bloc met with representatives from contractor Bechtel yesterday and agreed a framework for the continued construction of the country's main highway project, the Transylvania motorway.

The meeting followed the allocation of just € 229 million for the project in 2010, which hardly covered Bechtel's outstanding bills from 2009. A Bechtel Spokesperson said, "At this moment in time, the 2009 construction work has been paid for in full, but this has exhausted the 2010 budget for the project."

At the meeting, it was agreed that the government and Bechtel would sign an agreement in August that will record the government's commitment to continue financing construction of the motorway. The document will also define the scope of work to be completed in 2010.

The Bechtel spokesperson told CE, "There will now be a series of meetings with representatives from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and the National Company of Motorways and National Roads to discuss the details of the final protocol.

"Details of this and information on the outcome of the discussions will be communicated once they're finalised."

The Transylvania motorway is a four-lane, 415 km long highway stretching northwest from Brasov in central Romania to Oradea on the country's border with Hungary. The project is divided into eight segments and involves construction of 173 bridges, 84 overpasses and 19 interchanges.

The first 42 km segment opened to traffic in December 2009 and other segments are set to open over the next three years.