The winning bid of the two companies is around 135 million lei smaller than the contract the National Highway and Roads Company (CNADNR) sealed in 2008 with France’s Colas. Nevertheless, considering CNADNR had already paid Colas almost RON80 million until the contract was cancelled, the institution will save only around RON55 million, according to ZF calculations.
The “Sun Highway”, linking Bucharest to Constanta, would be completed in its entirety by the end of next year, after several deadlines were announced over the past year.
This is not the first time Italian firms win major public infrastructure contracts. As a matter of fact, the signal of good cooperation with Italian firms, and Astaldi in particular, was given as early as ten years ago by president Traian Basescu, then mayor of Bucharest. Astaldi, together with Spain’s FCC Construccion, built the Basarab Overpas and together with Max Boegl, built the National Arena stadium of Bucharest.
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu; Editing by Radu Bostan)