Seven bids have been submitted for the next phases of expansion of Bucharest’s orbital motorway, between the A1 and DN5 highways.
Catalin Drula, Romania’s transport minister, said that the contracts will be part of the wider €1.7 billion (US$2 billion) Bucharest Orbitals package that was started in 2016.
The recent bids were placed by various national and international companies and joint ventures, including Maristar Com, IBB-HIB Romania-IBB-Haus-und Industriebau, Straco-Tancrad-Cosedil JV and the Turkish company Alsim Alarko Sanayi Tesisleri ve Ticaret.
The orbital Bucharest Ring Motorway, or the Bucharest Belt Motorway, is the A0 that when completed will run around 100km around the capital Bucharest. It is intended to complement the existing Bucharest Ring Road – not a motorway – that runs around the city but closer to the city’s centre than the orbital.
The A0 is split into two sections: the South Ring Motorway and the North Ring Motorway and will connect with the existing A1, A2 and A3 motorways.
Work on the A0 project has been hampered by government procurement delays and contractual disagreements. Reports have suggested the project could be complete by 2024.
Florin Cîţu, the prime minister, recently had discussions with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to fund the country's proposed National Recovery and Resilience Plan, NRRP.
Meanwhile, work started this summer on the 30km Pitesti-Curtea de Arges stretch of Romania’s A1 motorway, part of the Pan-European Corridor 4.
