Italian contractor Webuild will work on a key project in Romania worth more than €1 billion. The firm will work as part of a consortium to build Lot 3 of the Sibiu-Pitesti Highway. According to Webuild, Lot 3 is the most complex part of the highway as it will cross the Carpathian Mountains between Cornetu and Tigveni for 37.4km, of which 12.5km will include bridges and viaducts, and a 1.7km long twin tunnel.
The project will present key engineering challenges due to the topography of the planned route. Building the twin tube tunnel will be complex, as will be some of the viaducts and bridges.
The awarding of the contract followed an international bidding process involving construction companies from Austria, Italy, Romania, Spain and Turkey.
Commissioned by Compagnia Nationala de Administrare a Infrastructurii Rutiere (CNAIR) on behalf of the Romania’s transport and infrastructure ministry, the work will be done by a consortium headed by Webuild. The Italian firm will hold a 90% stake in the project, while local partner Tancrad will have 10%. The contract will be 85% financed by European Union funds and the remaining 15% by state funds.
Webuild is already working on Lot 5 of the Sibiu-Pitesti Highway, located 10km from Lot 3. Once the five sections under construction are completed, the Sibiu-Pitesti will be more than 122km long, connecting central and western Romania to Europe’s highway network as part of the Rhine-Danube Corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
In addition to the tunnel, bridges and viaducts, Lot 3 includes the design and construction of more than 23km of a double-lane highway, two interchanges at Valeni and Cornetu, 18km of consolidation works, the construction of a maintenance and control centre, and work to preserve the environment. There will also be an animal crossing at Olt River. It will help reduce traffic congestion between Cornetu and Tigveni by proving an alternative route to national roads.
