Romania’s company in charge of highways and national roads CNADNR has paid some EUR230 million so far for the about 200 kilometers of highway under construction, which should cost about EUR900 million or EUR4.5 million per kilometer on average, according to a ZF analysis based on data supplied by CNADNR.
Work on most of the highway sections under construction now started this year and only one section is scheduled for completion in 2014. A 22.1 kilometer section of the Orastie-Sibiu highway, for which CNADNR has already paid EUR113 million out of a EUR138 million contract, should open for traffic in November, CNADNR said.
CNADNR spent only EUR79 million on highway construction in the first eight months of the year, which means less than one quarter of the money the government allocated for such roads for the entire 2014, almost EUR400 million.
Therefore, CNADNR has about EUR300 million left to spend in the last four months of the year, while the construction season might be over in October or November, depending on weather conditions. The low amount the government directed to highway construction sites this year shows once again the disaster in the public investment sector and is also one of the reasons why Romania relapsed into technical recession.
CNADNR signed only two new highway building contracts this year for the segments 3 and 4 of the Sebes-Turda section. It also held tenders to award a few more contracts but has yet to announce the winners, so actual construction will not start any sooner next year.
These contracts include: the second segment of the Nadlac-Arad highway (16 kilometers), already completed 85% and expected to cost EUR26.5 million to EUR31.8 million more, the Ogra-Targu Mures highway (14.6 kilometers plus a 4.7 kilometer connecting road), EUR226 million, Campia Turzii-Ogra (37.2 kilometers), EUR356 million to EUR428 million and the Suplacu de Barcau – Bors (60 kilometers 50% completed), EUR219 million to EUR263 million.
CNADNR also held tenders for feasibility studies for the construction of 1,800 kilometers of highways.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)