The European Bank for Reconstruction and development will loan the central Romanian city of Alba Iulia €15 million to rehabilitate public transport infrastructure.
Included are upgrades to 15km of city streets which will see dedicated bus and bike lanes, electric vehicle charging stations, new intelligent traffic management and safety systems and better public lighting. The EBRD said the money will be part of a co-financing initiative with the European Union.
Importantly the city will also become Romania’s fifth city to be designated an EBRD Green City. The EBRD said in a press release that as a next step, the bank will help Alba Iulia to develop its Green Cities Action Plan, which will support the expansion of investment and green policies in the city to address its most pressing environmental concerns.
Alba Lulia is on the Mureș River in the historical region of Transylvania region Business Magazin – Romania and has a population of around 65,000.
EBRD Green Cities was launched in 2016 to address the environmental challenges presented by urban areas. The bank says that more than 60 cities in the economies where the EBRD invests currently participate in the programme. To date, the EBRD has invested more than €10.5 billion in 515 projects in Romania, predominantly in the private sector.
Meanwhile, works on the Galati-Braila Expressway are expected to be completed in the first half of 2024, according to Sorin Grindeanu, the transport minister. The project is being carried out by SA&PE Construct-Spedition UMB-Tehnostrade at a cost of round €480 million. He also noted that at least 200km of motorways will be put into use by the end of 2024. By the end of this year, Romania is expected to have more than 1,000km of motorway.
