The most important ten highway construction sites progressed by 7.4% on average in November 1-February 1, reveals a ZF analysis based on the data provided by Romania’s national company in charge of highways and national roads (CNADNR).
Last year construction progressed 7.4% in just one month compared with three as lately, but work is usually slower during winter months because of the bad weather.
Many of the highway construction sites such as Orastie-Sibiu (with its four sections) and Lugoj-Deva should be completed by April 2013, or at least this is what the contract says.
Chances of them being completed in a month are relatively slim, considering many of them were only 50% to 60% done in early February.
The builders have received about EUR1 billion for the most important ten highway construction sites so far, that is about 60% of the total contract value, according to ZF’s calculations based on the data provided by CNADNR. The ten highway sections are 60% completed.
The third section of the Orastie-Sibiu highway built by Italy’s Impregilor made most progress in November 1- February 1, almost 14%, according to CNADNR data, therefore it was 60% completed at the beginning of the last winter month. This section includes Romania’s longest viaduct (about 1 kilometer in length).
On the other hand, Suplacu de Barcau-Bors, the last section of the Transylvania highway that US-owned Bechtel is working on, stagnated during the winter, even though the builder continued to receive payment for it.
Bechtel got EUR76 million from CNADNR in 2012, but most of the money was overdue payments from the Romanian government. This highway section in NW Romania only progressed 600 meters last year.
The first 6.5 kilometers of the Bucharest-Moara Vlasiei highway did not progress in November-February, either, as construction work was suspended because of insufficient funding, according to CNADNR. The section between Bucharest and its beltway is vital to connecting the city with the rest of the Bucharest-Ploiesti highway, already completed. CNADNR’s budget has not been approved yet, so no one knows how much money it will get in 2013.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)