The construction pace slowed down significantly between February 1 and March 1, despite the good weather, which should have encouraged the resumption of works.
The slower pace is also linked to low investments scheduled for road infrastructure this year.
The top ten highway construction sites in Romania advanced by an average 1.9% between February 1 and March 1, shows a ZF analysis based on data sent by the authority in charge of national roads and highways (CNADNR). Previously, between November 1 and February 1, these construction sites had progressed by almost 2.5% per month on average.
Although February was a month with relatively mild weather, so constructors could have restarted work on construction sites, the construction pace slowed down significantly. At the same time, the amounts dedicated to financing infrastructure were cut drastically.
This is reflected in the amounts that construction companies collected in February from CNADNR, with just a few constructors managing to get a few million euros. Such is the case of Italy’s Tirrena Scavi, Societa Italiana per Condotte D’Acqua and Cossi Costruzioni, which received almost EUR6 million in February for the first section of the Lugoj-Deva highway, shows CNADNR data.
The highway construction sites where work is currently ongoing had spent over EUR1 billion by the beginning of March, the equivalent of almost 60% of the total value of contracts, which is EUR1.75 billion. The execution stage of the around 250 km of highway where work is currently under way is also 60%.
150 km were supposed to be ready by April this year, but they will be opened at least a few months later than scheduled. One of the reasons is poor financing, constructors recently announced. The late payment of works and various on-site problems also caused delays to the completion deadlines.
Work on highways such as Suplacu de Barcau-Bors and on the first 6.5 km of the Bucharest-Ploiesti highway continued to stagnate between February 1 and March 1. These sections are left without the financing they need in order for works to continue.
The completion deadline of the Suplacu de Barcau-Bors highway remains unknown as its execution stage has stayed at around 50% for almost a year. But even so, US constructor Bechtel continues to collect significant amounts from CNADNR, which are largely overdue amounts, not money that would ensure the resumption of works.
A special situation is that of the first 6.5 km of the Bucharest-Moara Vlasiei highway – basically the stretch between Bucharest’s Petricani Road and Bucharest’s Ring Road – which has currently been left without financing and where works have been stagnating for a few months at a stage of just 11%, according to CNADNR data.
The fastest progress in February was recorded on the third section of the Orastie-Sibiu highway, as well as on the Deva-Orastie highway, which advanced by 6.8% and 6.5% respectively.
In fact the highway with the biggest chances of being completed shortly is 32.5 km-long Deva-Orastie. The 15-km stretch between Deva and Simeria was already opened for traffic in December, with CNADNR and one of the highway’s constructors, Austrian Strabag, giving assurances that Deva-Orastie will open for traffic on May 10.
The next scheduled opening section two of the Nadlac-Arad highway, which is 16.6 km-long, as well as section 1 of Orastie-Sibiu (24 km), which are set to open in August, according to the constructors.
Builders also have high hopes this year with the almost 100 km of highways on Paneuropean Corridor IV, which were put up for auction last summer. The winners of the auction have yet to be announced.
Recently Dan Sova, delegate minister for infrastructure projects, to whom CNADNR is subordinated, said the constructors of these highways, worth an estimated EUR900 million, will most likely be announced in mid April.
(English version by Daniela Stoican)