Work on the demolished segment of the Sibiu-Orastie highway in central Romania will end on September 1, according to Transport Minister Dan Costescu.

However, this will not resume traffic on that segment, he added, reports local Mediafax.

A segment of 200 meters of the Sibiu-Orastie highway, which opened for traffic in November 2014, was demolished and needs a complete rebuild. The first problems showed up just a couple of months after the inauguration, when the first cracks in the pavement appeared. The highways company initially said the cracks were superficial and tried to cover them up.

The value of the repair work is estimated at EUR 15.6 million, the minister said. The guarantee letters from the Italian constructor Salini Impregilo, who built the highway segment, are worth about EUR 20.1 million, and would cover the extra expense.

editor@romania-insider.com