After inspecting the Sibiu-Orastie highway construction site, Dan Sova, Minister Delegate for Infrastructure, stated Friday in Lancram (Alba County) that three of the four stretches of highway will be open before Christmas, adding he drove 160 km/h and “the car went smooth,” Mediafax notes. According to Sova, there are several problems on the third stretch, which are related to the nearby hills, not the highway corridor. Nonetheless, he said he is satisfied with the construction progress so far. “(…) work has been almost entirely completed. Around two or three percent of construction work on the fourth stretch toward Sibiu (…) still needs to be finalized. Otherwise, everything is okay,” Sova said.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta also visited the area and went to Straco company headquarters. He said that he would request information on delays in the construction work on Sibiu-Orastie highway and ‘apply sanctions accordingly’, emphasizing the highway must be open before Christmas because of the intense traffic in the area. When asked if he plans to go to the inauguration of the three other stretches of highway, Ponta replies it depends on the scale of the inauguration ceremony.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta stated further in Lancram (Alba County) that procedures for the highway between Pitesti and Ramnicu Valcea will start in January. The feasibility study for the stretch between Ramnicu Valcea and Sibiu must be redrafted, he added, because the currently listed costs are higher than the overall EU funds Romania was granted for highways in the 2014-2020 interval.
When asked by journalists when the Sibiu-Pitesti highway would be built, the PM said the Pitesti-Ramnicu Valcea stretch of highway will be built next year, but CNADNR must update the feasibility study for the Ramnicu Valcea-Sibiu stretch and find financing resources. Victor Ponta underlined Romania has funds for construction work on the stretches of highway he presented in Parliament together with the Minister for Infrastructure Projects, the Minister of Transport, and the Minister for European Funds.
The Chinese investors who want to build motorways in Romania firstly have to participate in tenders under European conditions and win them, Minister-Delegate for Infrastructure Projects of National Interest and Foreign Investments Dan Sova told Realitatea TV. ‘Otherwise they cannot. When the Chinese came here, the premier, I and everyone else said: they may participate in tenders or in competitive negotiations and have the best bid. The big facility that the Chinese can give us is Chinese banks’ financial strength, because the banks in the European Union and the United States do not rush to fund concessions, maybe because of the problems on the market or lack of credibility, Agerpres informs. When the Chinese builder comes, he comes with his financier,’ said Sova.
According to the minister-delegate, the Chinese builders that will build a motorway in Romania in concession will have to charge a maximum toll of 3 euros, taking into account Romanians’ purchasing power. ‘Do not imagine that the Chinese will come to give us a motorway as present. They will build it under concession, which will mean a toll of maximum 3 euros because one must consider the purchasing power of Romanians. The difference that is not covered, will have to be paid by the state budget,’ explained Dan Sova. (sursa: nineoclock.ro)
