Romanian road issues

Political controversy is looming with the revelation that Romania's National Road Company (CNADNR) has spent some €1.5 billion on upgrading 2,800 km of roads since 2004.
March 5, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Political controversy is looming with the revelation that Romania's National Road Company (2870 CNADNR) has spent some €1.5 billion on upgrading 2,800 km of roads since 2004.

The funding for the road improvements was supplied jointly by Romania's state budget as well as from European sources. One issue is that CNADNR has been accused of mis-spending over €93 million of 2332 World Bank funding in 2004, when it missed targets set by the bank intended to establish project management standards. Although funding has been routed from international sources into Romania's road network, little benefit appears to have been achieved so far. Romania's road authorities have invested in feasibility studies for highway projects but the amount of construction work carried out to date has been minimal.

For example, only now is Austrian contractor 945 Strabag working on a project to upgrade Romania's DN14 and DN15A national roads in deals worth a total of some €106 million. STRABAG's deal will see the firm upgrading a total of 150km of road, with the work commencing in April 2011 and scheduled for completion in March 2013. As part of its contract, STRABAG will widen and improve the existing road network, upgrade bridges, and install safety measures. The work forms part of the sixth rehabilitation programme of national roads in Romania and is financed by funds from the 1054 European Investment Bank and from the national budget.
Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Wide variations in Europe's road safety figures
    May 14, 2012
    Road safety in Romania continues to be a major issue, with the country seeing more deaths in 2009 than in 2001. A study by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) shows that Romanian roads are eight times more dangerous than similar links in Sweden, which has Europe’s best record for road safety (see also Safety Report). Romania, along with Malta, has bucked a trend within Europe of reducing road accidents levels between 2001 and 2009 according to the report. However, while Malta’s road fatality rate
    Read More
  • Support for Poland’s A1
    July 6, 2012
    The European Investment Bank (EIB) has in total granted a long-term facility of €1.070 billion for the construction of the second phase of the A1 motorway forming part of the priority trans-European transport network connecting the north of Poland (Gdansk) with the Austrian capital Vienna, via the Czech and Slovak Republics. The loan will finance the construction of a 62km section of the A1 motorway between Nowe Marzy and Torun on the basis of a design, build, finance and operate (DBFO) concession. This con
    Read More
  • Road investment benefit for Montenegro
    February 11, 2014
    China's Exim Bank is providing financing worth some €800 million to the Government of Montenegro for a highway project. The loan will be used to pay for work to a section of the Bar-Boljari highway stretch. The work on the Podgorica-Kolasin stretch is due to commence shortly and will be carried out by the Chinese contractor CC International. The Government of Montenegro will borrow some €118 million for capital projects and €240 million for the budget requirements. Of this, €10 million is to be borrowed fro
    Read More
  • Bosnia’s Autoceste FB&H re-tenders for Pocitelj-Zvirovici project
    July 23, 2018
    Bosnia’ public roads authority Autoceste FB&H has re-tendered for construction of 12km of the Pocitelj-Zvirovici part of the Corridor 5C motorway. The work, including the 945m Pocitelj Bridge, is worth around €100million with financing by the European Investment Bank (EIB). A previous tender was called in 2014 when the contract has been awarded to Strabag and Euroasfalt companies, in spite of better offers from Viadukt and Hering, according to media reports.
    Read More

Highlighted Content