Romanian Transport Ministry: Sibiu-Pitesti highway, due by 2020

Romania’s Transport Ministry will try to complete the Sibiu-Pitesti Highway by 2020. The highway is a top priority in the General Master Plan for Transportation, according to an official statement of the Transport Ministry. The state will have to pay some EUR 1.6 billion (without VAT) to build the 120-km freeway. On February 11, the National Company for Highways (CNADNR) selected the joint venture of Italian Spea Ingegneria Europea and Romanian Tecnic Consulting Engineering to carry out feasibility studies. Construction work should unfold between 2017 and 2020, according to the Transport Ministry. The General Master Plan for Transportation is a strategic document based on which Romania will access European funds for transport between 2014 and 2020. The Transport Ministry’s reaction on Thursday came after carmaker Dacia’s general manager Nicolas Maure recently said that the company, which is part of French group Renault, will make “crucial decisions” if Romania doesn’t build the Sibiu-Pitesti highway by 2020. editor@romania-insider.com