Transport Ministry’s Spending Plans For 2012

12.09.2011 By Andreea Neferu

The Transport Ministry will complete several road infrastructure projects in 2012 worth EUR1.4 billion, enough to build 233 kilometers of highways, at a cost of EUR6 million per kilometer.

The roads that should be completed next year include the Cernavoda-Constanta (SE Romania), Bucharest-Ploiesti (south of the country) and Timisoara-Arad (west of the country) highways, the Arad beltway and the Constanta beltway. The infrastructure projects that will be completed next year are worth EUR1.4 billion, as calculated by ZF based on the goals of the investments started after January 1, 2009 and scheduled for completion after December 31, 2011 that the Transport Ministry published on its website.

In other words, next year will see completion of investments that cost 30% less than the expenses the ministry set for make for roads in the 2012 budget draft, which amounts to EUR1.8 billion.

These highways should have been inaugurated this year but were postponed either because of contract terminations or for other reasons that led to delays in the actual work. The Timisoara-Arad highway and the highway-grade Arad beltway, worth a total of EUR245 million together feature as projects that should be completed in 2012, even though the national company in charge of highways and national roads in Romania (CNADNR) says it will open the Arad-Timisoara highway for traffic this month even though it will not be completed 100%.

On the other hand, only two national roads, that is DN 79 Arad-Oradea and DN12 Bixad-Sandominic (western and central Romania) will be fully rehabilitated by the end of next year for a total of 809 million lei (EUR188 million), while several other bridges, worth less than RON20 million (EUR4.7 million) will be completed next year.

ZF took into account both the road infrastructure projects financed by the state budget and those built with non-repayable or repayable funds.

Although not included in the list of those to be completed in 2012, the Suplacu de Barcau-Bors (NW Romania) section part of the Transylvania highway should be opened for traffic in November next year, according to the CNADNR.

(English version by Loredana Fratila)